Charnee James
Site Coordinator

cjames23@emich.edu

100 Helen St
Inkster MI 48141

Hi my name is Charnee James and I am excited to be the EMU Bright Futures Site Coordinator at David Hicks Elementary! I graduated with my Master of Arts in Educational Studies from University of Michigan in 2019. The past two years I have been teaching 5th grade at a project-based school in Ann Arbor. I loved my time teaching in the normal day setting, but I wanted a change. I remembered how much I loved working with Bright futures a few years ago. I was first introduced to Bright Futures in 2019, as an Assistant Site Coordinator. It was one of the best professional experiences, and I am enthusiastic to be back on the team! I am passionate about creating safe places to help students discover their voice and feel motivated, connecting with students and families through education, and developing strong community relationships. When not at work, I enjoy watching television, listening to music, and spending time with my family. I look forward to connecting with students and families as well as supporting their day-time learning!

Program Description

EMU Bright Futures at Hicks Elementary serves second, third, fourth and fifth grade students. We have a highly structured program with foundations of academic support and student interest-based clubs with daily focuses on being active, creative, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) learning. Club offerings may include Podcasting, Crafty Kids, Fitness Fun, Short Story, and TikTok, and many more! Clubs are 8-week long activities that give our students an opportunity to try unique things and create big projects.

As a staff, we strive to support our students’ continual growth in social and emotional learning and student voice  We provide opportunities for new academic experiences while cultivating a mutually respectful community for all students and families in our program. 

We at EMUBF Hicks recognize the importance of strong relationships between the family, school staff, and program. We actively encourage families to volunteer their time and skills with our students at program, and we meet quarterly for Family Meetings to engage parent and family feedback about program happenings. We also encourage all families to participate in school functions where, when possible, we volunteer our time! Here at EMUBF Hicks, we are incredibly lucky to have such a high parent and family participation in our program.