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Dear School Partner,
College Reunion is an independent movie and mission driven social justice movement. The
film follows a semi-retired housewife and her girlfriends as they reconnect for their 45th
HBCU College Reunion. The goal of the narrative is to uplift black women and highlight the
rich history of HBCUs and their accomplished alumni.
As the independent filmmaking team works toward completion of the movie project, we are
simultaneously partnering with organizations to support and uplift nonprofits whose work is
specific to students in K-12.
In support of this mission we conducted a College Reunion telethon on Saturday, January 28,
2023. A rough cut of the event is available on our College Reunion Youtube Channel where a
final cut and short clips will also be available soon. We are promoting the event through the
month of February with two objectives:
1. Raise production funds for the movie College Reunion
and
2. Activate the mission aligned movement by supporting students in K-12.
On January 28th we used the power of our network to make personal phone calls to a pilot
group of students who had been chronically absent from their home school. As you know,
combating chronic absenteeism is critical as it affects the learning capabilities of individual
students and can have a negative impact on school budgets. The College Reunion team firmly
believes that the path to college begins in the K-12 setting, so supporting schools with the
student attendance crisis is critical, as it directly impacts future college enrollment.
To that end, we would like to provide you with the protocols that we used and
urge you to create your own “ Call Students Back to School Day” to finish out the
second semester strong. Details are provided on the next page. We hope that you will
participate in this nationwide effort to support students in K-12. Together we can make a
difference and change the world!
In Solidarity,
Carla M. McCullough
Carla M. McCullough, Ed.D
Writer/Director/EP
College Reunion
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College Reunion
Call Students Back to School Day
Ways to Participate
Hold “Call Students Back to
School Day” at your school
site on a Saturday of your
choosing
Utilize school and support staff to make personal phone
calls to students asking them to commit to being in school
everyday unless they have an excused absence.
English Sample Script Spanish Sample Script
Available at acollegereunion.com/college-reunion-telethon
Sample Day of Protocol Before the Event
Compile a list of chronically absent students. To maintain
student privacy in the event of community volunteers,
provide a list that contains a number identifiable only to
school personnel, the student's first name, up to three
contact numbers, and the home language.
During the Event
Volunteers may use a script to contact
students/parents/guardians and make notes on the sheet
provided.
After the Event
1. Thank all school personnel and volunteers for their time and
support.
2. Gather data on the number of students reached who
committed to returning to school.
Host “Call Students Back to
School Day” Home Visits
on a day of your choosing
Utilize school and support staff to make home visits to
chronically absent students asking students and families to
commit to being in school everyday unless they have an
excused absence.
Plan special events to
encourage consistent
school attendance.
1. Homeroom lessons about the importance of school
attendance.
2. Perfect Attendance competitions by homeroom or
grade level with special prizes for winners.
3. School Pep Rally
300 Long Beach Blvd #644, Long Beach, Ca. 90802• O 562-507-1687 • www.acollegereunion.com
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4. School Spirit Week, hosted in February/March to
encourage continued perfect attendance.
5. Student Leadership School Spirit Signs
Have other ideas or samples that you are willing to
share? Submit them here.
Letters of
Recommendation
If your school doesn’t struggle with chronic absenteeism,
encourage teachers/staff to finalize high school and college
letters of recommendation on your chosen call day.
Partner with Local
Businesses for student and
staff incentives
Partner with local businesses for student and staff
incentives such as discounts and free items.
300 Long Beach Blvd #644, Long Beach, Ca. 90802• O 562-507-1687 • www.acollegereunion.com
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