By Nadia Tellez
Two years ago we planted seeds of change when we asked schools across El Paso to join us on a journey of discovery and transformation to truly understand how schools can best support the academic growth and well-being of their students. Last month, we saw those seeds in full bloom as eight schools showcased innovative programs they designed and launched during the 2023-2024 school year to better support their students.
As the first eight schools to participate in the El Paso School Design Collaborative, an initiative CREEED launched in partnership with the El Paso Community Foundation and Transcend, these schools designed programs that build nurturing school environments where the social, emotional, and physical development of young people is seen as key to their academic success.
All schools engaged in a year-long inquiry process where they conducted surveys and focus groups to hear directly from students, school staff, and families about their needs, challenges they’re encountering, and aspirations; visited schools who had designed and implemented student-centered models and programs to see them in action; and were paired with a Transcend coach as they designed their programs.
Watching each school team share the programs they implemented, the changes they are seeing, and ultimately the vision they have for their schools moving forward was tremendously moving, especially since many engaged students and staff in their presentations.
- Jose H Damian in Canutillo ISD piloted Firebird Circle Time, a morning circle in class that includes a time for students to share using a talking stick and learn meditative and breathwork strategies.
- Jose J. Alderete in Canutillo ISD is focusing on family engagement as a way to increase a sense of belonging for students and everyone by creating family specific events that more meaningfully engage parents and get them connected to staff.
- Carrol T Welch in Clint ISD is implementing Circles as a way of increasing affirmations and dealing with stress on campus. The implementation of Circles on campus has supported students to feel important on campus and increase a sense of belonging and self-worth.
- O’Shea Keleher Whole Child Academy in Socorro ISD is implementing Villages in order to build a strong sense of identity within the school. There will be 6 themed-villages that align with the school’s “whole child core values” and the campus will split into their 6 villages to build deeper relationships across the campus.
- Vista Del Sol Environmental Science Academy in Socorro ISD implemented a structured morning circle using Responsive Classroom to create pathways of unity and collaboration between all students, especially between their monolingual and bilingual students who don’t often interact together.
- C. Silvestre & Carolina Reyes in Canutillo ISD is also piloting circles and a student book club, and has built out a calendar for the first two months of circles themes and the writing prompts associated with each circle.
- Gonzalo & Sofia Garcia in Canutillo ISD piloted ME time, a community meeting at the start of the school day. ME Time – Morning Experience To Identify My Emotions- is a dedicated time space to get every person at Garcia prepared socially and emotionally for the day.
- Canutillo MS STEAM in Canutillo ISD has implemented moments throughout the school day when staff and students have a chance to connect with one another through Champs Check In, Champs Bursts, and Champs Connect.
All of these programs were informed by brain science and cognitive development, to truly help students regulate their feelings, emotions, and brain so they are prepared to succeed academically, and feel supported by their classmates and the adults around them.
The design work and pilot projects are not the end goal, but rather the beginning – a chance for schools to think differently about how they engage and solicit input from students and families, how they see the social and emotional wellbeing of students tied to their academic success – and we are excited to keep working with these schools as they continue on their design journey.
Some of these schools will continue to receive direct coaching from Transcend and others will attend the Transcend institute where they will gain the skills and knowledge to deepen their design work. We have seen this work be successful at the elementary and middle school level, and now we are excited to look at high schools in the El Paso region to be part of our second cohort of the El Paso School Design Collaborative. This work is about strengthening the K-12 to college pipeline, so that all students in El Paso receive the academic and social support they need at every stage of their educational journey so they can be prepared for and succeed in college.
