Sunrise Mountain High School Student Athletes Receive Game-
Day Confidence from Communities In Schools of Nevada and
Dress for Success
Early in the season, the girls basketball team at Sunrise Mountain High School was left speechless as they took in the boutique-like setting when filing into Dress for Success Southern Nevada, a program that helps women achieve financial independence by providing local women seeking employment with professional attire, a network of support, and career development programs. The visit was arranged by site coordinators from Communities In Schools of Nevada (CISN) to inspire, encourage and boost the confidence of the team by providing dress clothes that could be worn at school on home game days.
“Low self esteem is a common problem for the girls we work with and being able to get even one nice outfit has a huge impact on raising their self confidence,” said Katie Frey, one of two site coordinators at Sunrise Mountain. “After the basketball team had their fitting at the Dress for Success Southern Nevada boutique, they came into the resource room with huge smiles on their faces showing off all of their clothing and telling us what a great experience it was. Many of the girls had never had a pair of slacks or heels before and thanks to Dress for Success they are proud to get dressed up for their basketball games. Their attitudes were visibly improved after their shopping day at Dress for Success.”
At Dress for Success Southern Nevada, volunteer image consultants gathered the measurements for all 16 team members and the girls were shown professional clothes and footwear of every shape, style and color imaginable. The skilled volunteers worked tirelessly with the girls to present each with unique options that would not only reflect their personalities but also reveal their beauty.
The team concluded the shopping excursion with their hands full, their hearts light and feeling more beautiful and confident than ever before. They returned to school and shared their new-found confidence with the rest of their classmates, both in the hallways and on the court.
“It changes your school in general,” said Whykella Haley, an 11th grade student on the team. “Now that our athletes are looking like mature people, young adults, it’s better. It sends a message out to everybody that we’re changing and we’re better than we used to be, as people and as a school.”
Due to the changes seen in themselves and their classmates, the girls basketball team ended the season with a dramatic increase in the number of wins, on and off the court, than in the previous season. Although the season has ended, the student athletes will continue to proudly wear their professional attire throughout the school year.
Photo courtesy of Communities In Schools of Nevada.
About CISN
Communities In Schools of Nevada is the local affiliate of the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization and is Nevada’s most effective intervention program. The CIS mission is to surround students with a community of support so they can succeed in school and achieve in life. CIS of Nevada supports nearly 33,000 students at 43 school sites in Southern Nevada and Northeastern Nevada, connecting them with critical services such as medical and dental care, mental health counseling services, food, clothing, tutoring, career exploration, academic development and other programs. CIS uniquely provides the services on campus, with a full-time Site Coordinator to advocate for at-risk students at partner schools. CIS connects community resources to children and youth using a research-proven model that decreases dropout and increases graduation. Nationwide, CIS provides services in 3,400 schools in the most challenged communities, in 27 states and the District of Columbia, benefitting nearly 1.3 million young people and their families every year. For more information, please see our website http://www.cisnevada.org.