Back-2-School Bash at Sulphur Springs Connects Students with Community

Before the first day of school, hundreds of Sulphur Springs families gathered at Sulphur Springs PK-8 for a community tradition that does far more than provide school supplies. The annual Back-2-School Bash connects families with local organizations, businesses and nonprofit partners while ensuring students have the tools they need to begin the year ready to learn.

Families left with backpacks, school supplies and, just as importantly, connections to resources that will support them throughout the school year. 

“We want families to feel seen, heard, valued and wanted in our school and in the neighborhood,” said Community School Director Kathy Cubbage. “If we’re able to bridge that barrier, we are setting up that entire family for success.” 

Every student who attended received a backpack filled with essential supplies, including crayons, markers, pencils, folders and composition notebooks. The Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA donated supplies and packed backpacks ahead of the event. 

“The community has come to depend on this event,” said Cubbage. “It’s a way for them to interact with their teachers and those professionals that will be caring for their students, but it's also a way to connect with resources.”

Created to address the social and economic challenges facing the Sulphur Springs community, the Back-2-School Bash reflects the year-round impact of the Tampa YMCA's partnership with Sulphur Springs. As the school's lead nonprofit partner, the Y helps coordinate resources, supports families and expands learning opportunities through the Community Partnership School model, ensuring students have the support they need both inside and outside the classroom.

Those efforts are making a difference. Over the past three years, Sulphur Springs has become one of the most improved schools in Hillsborough County. 

“We’re really proud of the hard work that our teachers and students do, and we know that it's partnerships through the community school, through the Y, University of South Florida, Sulphur Springs Neighborhood of Promise, Tampa Family Health and the school district that allow us the space to meet students where they're at and to propel them forward with success.”