Strengthening the Mission by Focusing on Health and Wellness

Chinquapin continues to build and strengthen the mission by focusing on the health and wellness of our community. Instructors strategically and intentionally redesign lessons to be student-centered and content-driven. Social-emotional learning (SEL) was important before, but now it has been catapulted to the top of every educator’s priority list. Not only is Chinquapin zeroed in on continuing to provide the opportunity for academic success, we are supporting our community’s mental health as well. Daily check-ins with students, teaching about self-advocacy and allowing personal time and space for destressing, and weekly SEL tips to cope with the pandemic are vital to engaging instruction and enhancing relationships.

Instructors and students are dealing with overwhelming thoughts of “Is this working?” and “How will I be able to continue to strive at this pace?” While we are hesitant to continue moving forward when hope seems diminished, reassurance comes with the urgency to press onward in the midst of one of the most emotionally taxing times in our lives, so we’ve implemented a wellness program that highlights the importance of mental health. The Bob and Maxine Moore Wellness Program prioritizes the health and wellness of Chinquapin faculty/staff, students, and families. We’ve partnered with The Toolkit Project, PLLC and Baylor College of Medicine to provide full-scale counseling services and workshops for our community. Dr. Mia Johnson leads the newly-designed program and offers consultations, individual counseling sessions, assessments, parent conferences, referrals, resources, and faculty/staff professional development. Community meetings with Baylor College of Medicine have been added to provide safe spaces for students to articulate their experiences. Recent topics include: emotion regulation, bullying, anxiety in teens, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The community would not be able to adequately assess our needs without the Bob and Maxine Moore Wellness Program, and we need your help to continue providing these mental health services. If you’re interested in donating to the Bob and Maxine Moore Wellness Program, please visit our website.