Graphic reading "Denver Passionate Schools" with picture of Jean Boylan

Jean Boylan, the Community Liaison at McMeen Elementary, is passionate about connecting McMeen families with resources like housing, clothing, food, legal support and more. She helps families access these basic needs so that instead of worrying about where to find winter clothing or affordable groceries, families have the capacity to support their children’s education at McMeen. But her work did not start out this way.

Jean initially started helping out at McMeen because her grandson Julian, a third grader, goes to school there. (Julian is the second generation to attend McMeen; his mother went there as a child as well.) Jean’s original goal as a volunteer was to bring some energy to parent involvement at McMeen.

“I wanted to empower parents to be more engaged with their children’s educational journeys. Parents often feel alienated or disconnected from the conversation around their kid’s journey. But I believe that parents have a significant role to play,” Jean said.

Jean wanted parents not only to feel included in their children’s education, she also wanted teachers to be aware of the ways parents can help lighten their loads.

“Often, I think teachers feel like they’re doing it alone, and parents just don’t know how to help. Parents can support what’s happening in the classroom,” she said.

This is why Jean came to McMeen: to build that partnership between parents and teachers to further students’ education. As she spent more and more time with families, however, she realized that there were more pressing needs in the community. Many families did not have the capacity to support teachers or get involved in their students’ education because they were struggling with food and housing security. New-to-country families were struggling to adapt to the American school system. Jean decided to shift her goal to supporting these families.

“Every day, I came to work and I thought, what do I need to do to help ‘clear the deck’, if you will, so teachers can teach in the classroom?” she said.

Jean began to provide things like food, clothing, legal support, housing support and school supplies. For example, Jean put together a resource guide for families, coordinates food and clothing donations from local businesses, and runs a weekly free food market for McMeen families.

Jean is adamant that she does not do this work alone. Solutions, she shared, are often found by engaging with city organizations and people and systems at the district level. Jean sees a lot of what she does as creating pathways between those who want to help and those who need help.

“I believe that many, many, many people want to support public education and children. They don’t always know how,” she said.

Jean has created networks of support within and beyond the McMeen community, and her impact is felt strongly in the building. This community of care that Jean helped build is a perfect example of the “McMeen Magic” that staff often talk about.

“People say, oh my gosh, she’s got passion. But I think really, what it is, is I’m just unlocking other people’s passions,” Jean said.

And in the end, despite shifting her goal to supporting families, Jean ended up helping teachers, too. Thanks to Jean, more students are getting their basic needs met, and can now focus on learning in the classroom. This makes teachers’ work far less overwhelming.

Jean tries to let McMeen teachers know: “You’re being seen. You’re heard. And other people are stepping up on your behalf.”

The work Jean does is necessary, and hard. Her passion for education, and her belief in the power of education, keeps her going.

“I believe in public education. I believe that education is at the heart of moving humanity forward. We need educated people to run our country. To vote. To run businesses, to move science, to write beautiful literature and make art. And we need education accessible to all children because education is the key solution for turning lives around,” Jean said.