AmeriCorps volunteer for Oct. 2013: Christie Vankanegan

Christie has been voted by her peers at the REAL School to be the AmeriCorps member of the month for the month of October 2013.Christie serves as a full-Time AmeriCorps member at our school specializing in restorative learning. During the month of October, Christie has expertly guided many REAL School youth through the Restorative Learning process, helping them to grow and mature in the process. 

Restorative learning is our alternative to suspension program that engages REAL School students in learning about the behavior that causes problems in school. Christie has done an exceptional job teaching students how to learn to take responsibility for their behavior while also teaching students about new strategies for finding success and avoiding patterns of behavior which have been problematic in the past. 

Christie is in her second year of national service with the REAL School. Last year, Christie served a quarter-time position as a service-learning facilitator in the REAL School’s groundbreaking student-run REAL Lunch Program.

In addition to her stellar service at the REAL School, Christie continues her commitment to underserved area youth as a staff member at the Preble Street Resource Teen Center. Christie is originally from South Carolina and is a 2010 graduate of Appalachian State University with a BS in Psychology.

The REAL School is part of RSU 14.