About Our Volunteers

Volunteers are welcomed at all Unit 4 schools. Each year over 1,000 volunteers donate over 15,000 hours of time to our schools: tutoring, mentoring, or assisting in classrooms. Public school districts cannot succeed in their mission without the dedication and support of the many volunteers who work in our classrooms. We are grateful for the caring and commitment of our volunteers and can honestly say, we can't do it without YOU! 

What must I do to become a volunteer?

All regular volunteers (one hour a week or more) will be required to:

• Download and fill out a volunteer application | Español

• Pass a background check

• Sign in and wear a name tag when you're in the school building

• Attend an orientation/training session at the school site.

Where Can I Volunteer?

Please contact the volunteer coordinator at the school you where you would like to volunteer. The school coordinator will explain volunteer opportunities available at their school.

Kenwood Elementary Volunteer Coordinator:
Kristen Morris: morriskr@u4sd.org
(217) 351-3815

Volunteering Opportunities

With a focus on Computational Thinking and Computer Science/Coding, volunteers at Kenwood Elementary are utilized in a number of ways. We do have what's considered pretty standard volunteer opportunities, such as: making copies, working in small groups on reading, writing and comprehension, practicing math facts with students, etc. We also involve volunteers to assist students during their "code block" each week. All of our classes, grades K thru 5, get to spend an hour each week coding. Utilizing a variety of websites (Scratch, Scratch JR, Code.org) our students are able to create stories and animations, amongst other projects, by using code building blocks. Volunteers help students by practicing "Collaborative Discussion Framework" techniques which help students identify and solve problems. Kenwood Elementary is preparing students for the future in a technology-driven environment and our volunteers get to be a part of that...and learn a few things for themselves, too!