Cummings, who is the student/family liaison at Endeavor Charter Academy, was volunteering distributing food during the pandemic when she was approached about her interest in city council. She wasn’t interested at first but realized she wanted to be more involved in the community that she has invested many hours in and was elected to the city council in November.
Tracey Cummings is sworn in as the first female African-American woman on the Springfield City Council.
Now that she has been sworn in and sat in on her first meeting, Cummings is looking forward to working with officials on things like safety issues around the city. As a student/family liaison, she is an experienced sounding board for people. The city council position will be another extension of that for her Endeavor community as she transforms lives in another realm.
“I know that I'm going to learn a lot,” she said. “I know that what I’ll be able to experience, I’ll share that with some of my students here at Endeavor.”
Cummings previously worked at Endeavor, then earned her graduate degree, and moved out of the area. When she returned, she enjoyed the family atmosphere and support. The teachers who knew her from her first stint at Endeavor remembered her students and her children.
From left, Tracey Cummings, Endeavor Principal Tom McPherson, and Registrar Mary Mcalvey celebrate during an Endeavor fundraiser.Her position as student/family liaison includes connecting students and their families to resources they may need inside and outside of school to be successful in their education. She has a caseload of at-rick students she sees to provide social support and contacts families whose student is showing attendance issues.
“They usually just want someone to hear where they’re coming from. I think that by me being able to understand and with my background in psychology, listening usually can make a big difference” said Cummings, who graduated from Western Michigan with a master’s degree in psychology.
Cummings is proud of the connection she has forged with students and continues to check in with some years later. And as a city council member, she now is in position to initiate resources as well as providing them to families at Endeavor.
Tracey Cummings with some amazing Endeavor students.“The school has encouraged me to be a leader as well,” she said. “I think it’s just another chance for me to be a better worker, be a better person here.”
Keep up the excellent work, Ms. Cummings!
Endeavor Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Springfield, Michigan, serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
Visit Endeavor Charter Academy's blog to read more stories like this.