We will overcome
By Kellen Olshefski
Staff Writer
Looking towards promoting the ability to bounce back and thrive, the Elkhorn Area School District is preparing for a Sept. 30 program about resiliency.
Resilience, the ability allowing a person, group or community to become strong, healthy or successful again after something bad happens, is something the district feels is important in not only student development, but the community as well.
Resilience has been a topic linked to various aspects of life, including the medical fields, according to School Psychologist Veronica Milling who noted everyone faces adversity and challenges in life.
“You can’t prevent a lot of the things that happen in life … so how can you bounce back from that and go on stronger,” she said.
As an example, Milling said with the number of veterans returning from overseas, their children need help in understanding death, absence and physical issues.
“They need the skills to be able to bounce back and be able to survive through that, thrive after that,” she said.
With it being a key tool for overcoming difficult situations, Milling said the school district began to look at how resiliency plays into education in Elkhorn and how it leads to better academic outcomes for the district’s students.
Milling said a key factor in the Sept. 30 program is going to be the focus on an individual’s strengths and how parents can help their children recognize and build upon those strengths.
“A lot of it comes from the parents themselves working on their resilience too,” she said.
While Milling said there are things the school district is already doing in regards to resiliency, it’s something they’re always looking for new ways to get students engaged and motivated.
“We have some brain based strategies like you have to practice, you don’t just get it right away,” she said.
“You get a bad grade, there are things you can do to overcome that like redo it or work with the teacher a little bit longer.”
Where older schools of thought once believed individuals were either born resilient or not according to Milling, she said the truth is, it is a learnable trait even later in life.
According to Parent Connections Coordinator Pattie Woods, one of the exciting things about piecing together this initiative has been not only strengthening the community, but having the opportunity to bring everyone together.
Woods, who primarily works with families who have children younger than five-years-old, said the program reaches out across the age-span of not only students, but community members as well.
Noting the economy and recent tragedies in national news, Woods said community adults can also benefit from resilience training just as much as students.
“If you let any of those kinds of situations, once they’ve happened, make it so you don’t continue to live your life, that’s just not good,” she said.
“You have to figure things out to help you keep going … we’re all going to experience something but you still have to be able to get up the next day.”
Milling said the programs key speaker, David Minden, a recognized expert in mental health and behavioral issues that impact youth and adults in their relationships and life success, will talk about each stage of development, from birth to adulthood.
Milling said the number of sponsors supporting the program, including the PTA, Mercy Health System and the Alder Companies, shows its something community members view as an important topic.
The program will be held in the Elkhorn Area High School Auditorium from 6:30-7:30 p.m. with a $1 dinner beginning at 5:15 p.m. Admission is free and free childcare is available. The district asks those interested in childcare register at pupilservicesproject.weebly.com.
