Barnhill honored with 2026 National Community School Coordinator Award
Las Cruces Public Schools is proud to announce that Jessica Barnhill, Community School Coordinator at Booker T. Washington Community Elementary School, was named the 2026 National Community School Coordinator at the National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference held in Long Beach, California.
The award recognizes exceptional community school coordinators from across the nation who demonstrate outstanding leadership, innovation and dedication to supporting students, families and communities through the community school model.
Since joining Booker T. Washington Community Elementary School as a Community School Coordinator in December 2019, Barnhill has worked collaboratively with school administrators, teachers, students, families and community partners to identify needs, coordinate resources and remove barriers to learning. Her efforts have helped strengthen connections between the school and community while ensuring students have access to the support and opportunities they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
“One of the first community partners I was able to start working with was Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility,” Barnhill noted. “They have been essential in reaching out to see what our school community needs are. Most recently, they donated about $500 worth of underwear and socks, and each holiday season they adopt one of our families to make sure they have presents or other essentials that can sometimes be out of reach for our families.”
Community schools are guided by six key practices that promote student success and family engagement: powerful student and family engagement; cultural belonging, safety and care; integrated systems of support; expanded and enriched learning opportunities; collaborative leadership, shared power and voice; and rigorous, community-connected classroom instruction.
As part of her role, Barnhill facilitates needs assessments, leads the school's Site-Based Leadership Team, coordinates student and family support services, develops community partnerships and uses data-driven planning to improve outcomes for students and families.
An example of this was a needs assessment Barnhill conducted that led to several afterschool programs, like cheerleading, intensive tutoring, 3D printing and next year, basketball and soccer.
In addition to her work at Booker T. Washington, Barnhill is completing her Master of Social Work degree. Through her graduate practicum, she has facilitated social-emotional learning groups, attendance interventions, mentoring programs, case management services, and community resource coordination. Her long-term goal is to continue serving students and families as a school social worker.
“I truly love the work I do,” said Barnhill. “It takes passion and dedication because the work can be challenging, but seeing students and families overcome barriers and succeed makes it all worthwhile.”
Pictured below, left to right: Booker T. Washington Principal Monica Marquez, Community School Coordinator Jessica Barnhill, and Assistant Principal Yvonne Urbina. 
Below: Jessica Barnhill stands with her award outside the National Community School and Family Engagement Conference, held May 27-29 in Long Beach, CA.
