TAZEWELL, Va. -Kay Cornwell is the Student Support Coordinator with Communities in Schools Appalachian Highlands of Tazewell High School.
Cornwell was nominated by two coworkers for WVVA Hometown Hero, and the Assistant Principal of Tazewell High School says why she nominated her.
“Cornwell is a very essential part to Tazewell High School. She works through communities and schools but is here at the school. She helps our students out, their families out, in a lot of ways. During Thanksgiving she was able to hand out meals to some of their families. At Christmas time she buys them Christmas presents and gifts and stuff for the kids and sends it home with them. Any of our kids that need a snack throughout the day, they all come down. They know to come see Ms. K,” said Paige Davis, Assistant Principal for Tazewell High School.
CIS of Appalachian Highlands strives to make sure no child is left behind in school and the Regional Director says Cornwell goes above and beyond to take care of her students.
“She is just a true reflection of everything that CIS stands for. She goes above and beyond every day to make sure her students and their families are taken care of. She knows exactly who to call in the community to meet their needs. She works, mentors the students, makes sure they have their basic needs,” said Amy Lawson, Regional Director of CIS of Appalachian Highlands.
Cornwell works hard to eliminate obstacles for her students whether it may be concerning their well-being, health, attendance or basic needs.
“We provide like the basic need items to them, but if they’ve not got their learner’s permit, if they don’t have the money to pay for that learner’s permit, I’ll take them to the DMV, we’ll take the test, and we can actually pay for that. There’s been a few that I’ve actually helped them buy their caps and gowns at the end of the year,” said Kay Cornwell, WVVA Hometown Hero.
Cornwell says she doesn’t see herself as the hero but her community.
“It’s very humbling. It really is, and I guess with me being a hero, I think this whole community is a hero, and the people I work with are. I could not do my job as well as I do if I didn’t have such a great support system, and the administrators and the school and the company I work for,” said Cornwell.
But Cornwell’s work does not stop inside the school walls. It often follows her outside the school doors.
“We had during the storm that they had when we had the floods, we had a lot of people in the area that was out of electricity and having power. We weren’t working. But I knew I had all these parents because I have that relationship. They would call me. They had no electricity, no food. I got a couple companies in the community. They volunteered to buy the food. We bought some of it. I had the resource officer here. He came and volunteered and cooked all day long. We gave, I think, it was 500 spaghetti dinners out in one day and it’s just getting the community together to do that. It’s just amazing,” continued Cornwell.
For Cornwell she wants to make sure her students are not only taken care of during schooling but after they graduate as well.
“When you see that student getting ready to graduate, and you’ve got that guardian, that parent, whomever there, and you know that they’ve got those resources. You know, once they graduate, they’ve got a plan. They’re going to be able to go to work, go to college, or whatever their future goals are. They’re going to know where to find them and to be able to be self-sufficient,” said Cornwell.
When asked about her job, Cornwell said she just knows there are needs in the community.
“I love my job. I love that the ideal that I could work for an agency that I can fulfill my passion. This is to help people and to better their lives,” said Cornwell.
It is her passion and love for her community that makes her a WVVA Hometown Hero.
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