A program called Communities in Schools is getting results in its first year of working in Suffolk Public Schools.

“Our mission is to surround students with community support,” said Kodi Fleming, executive director of Communities in Schools of Hampton Roads. “We reach out to existing community partners with that community support, and we match that support up with the needs of the students that are in the schools.”

Fleming said the needs can range from a student who needs eyeglasses to one who needs food. Less tangible support, like mentoring, is also a part of the program.

“Our site coordinators work with school administration and teachers, and they help to identify the needs of students that are in the schools.”

The program is in Elephant’s Fork Elementary School this year, and organizers hope to extend it to other schools. It currently is in four high schools, one middle school and three elementary schools in Suffolk, Portsmouth, Norfolk and Hampton combined.

Students can be referred to the program through teachers, but some students refer themselves, said Iris Mathis-Spellman, the site coordinator at Elephant’s Fork. Sometimes, programs are put on for the entire school, but other times it’s just the students in the program.

During a recent Thursday evening program, Mathis-Spellman called students to the board in the library, where a quilt was hanging. Each student had designed a different square of the quilt with photos and information about a black history-maker. Mathis-Spellman said she asked the students what they wanted to be when they grew up, and the students researched black pioneers in those areas.

“What we’ve found is that with some of the students at Elephant’s Fork Elementary School, they don’t have the opportunity, because of lack of funds, to engage in extracurricular activities,” Mathis-Spellman said. “When children are able to engage in activities and expand their minds, that will be a part of their academic success. What I try to do is incorporate activities that can enrich and motivate them.”

The school held a two-day bullying prevention event in September, and other programs are ongoing.

“We have seen significant improvement in the behavior of our kids,” she said.

She said students will get referred to the program by teachers or the principal for behavioral or academic issues or something as simple as the need for hygiene products and school supplies.

“Many times, the teachers can see the need quicker than I can,” Mathis-Spellman said.

But students sometimes refer themselves for behavioral or academic problems or just to work on their self-esteem, she said.

“I try to make sure all of my kids are accommodated,” she said. “I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of the CIS family, and I’m very blessed to be a part of the Elephant’s Fork family.”