Sycamore Township residents with professional expertise, artistic talents, or life experiences can sign up to work directly with local students through a new district partnership with the nonprofit CommunityShare platform.

Sycamore Community Schools announced July 23, that it is recruiting community partners for the program, which the district describes as a "human library" where teachers can connect with guest speakers, mentors, and project collaborators to bring real-world learning into classrooms.

Science professionals are the district's top priority. The announcement specifically calls for help with upcoming teacher-led projects in that field, though the district says anyone with industry experience, military service, or travel knowledge is welcome to participate.

How to sign up

The process takes about 10 minutes. Residents visit communityshare.org/sign-up and create a profile listing their expertise. The district encourages uploading a photo so educators can make a personal connection.

Once registered, partners can browse active projects posted by Sycamore teachers or wait for an educator to reach out directly. The time commitment is flexible. A partner might give a single guest lecture or collaborate on a longer project.

All community partners must follow screening and safety protocols before entering school buildings, according to the district's announcement.

About CommunityShare

CommunityShare is a Tucson, Arizona-based nonprofit founded in 2015 that matches pre-K-12 educators with local professionals. The platform operates in 11 states and has served more than 85,000 students nationally, according to CommunityShare. Sycamore Community Schools is a member of the organization's National Learning Ecosystem Network and has a dedicated page on the platform at communityshare.org/sycamore.

Nationally, 88% of participating students say the program helps them connect classroom content to real-world applications, according to research published through Digital Promise. Those figures reflect the broader network, not Sycamore specifically.

The district's recruitment push comes ahead of the mid-August start of the 2026-2027 school year, giving residents time to build profiles before teachers begin planning fall projects.

Contact

Residents with questions can reach Jessica Schmidt, Sycamore Community Schools director of communications, at [email protected].