Program Name: Crisis Response Initiative
Nominator's Name: Dr. Carol Lynch
Title: Director of Special Services
Address: 155 Summit Avenue
City/State/Zip: Waldwick NJ 07463
Nominator's Telephone Number: 201-652-5052
Organization: Waldwick Public Schools
Address: 155 Summit Avenue
City/State/Zip: Waldwick NJ 07463
List of Community Partners: Waldwick Police, West Bergen Mental Health Center, St. Luke's Church, Waldwick Methodist Church, Waldwick Public Health Services
The nominated program focuses on the following grade level or area: Elementary, Middle/Jr. High School, High School
District:  Waldwick
County: Bergen
Address: 155 Summit Avenue
City/State/Zip: Waldwick NJ 07463
District Superintendent: Dr. John Szabo
District Telephone Number: 201-445-3131
Date of Program Initiation: October 6, 1998

Area 1: Goals:

The practice addresses Core Curriculum Content Standard for Comprehensive Health Education and Physical Education, Standard 2.2 "All students will learn health-enhancing, personal, interpersonal, and life skills." 2.2-11 Coping Skills - Describe the impact of crisis, stress, rejection separation, and loss and develop coping strategies for each. Cross Content Workplace Readiness Standards: Standard 4 - All students will demonstrate self-management skills.

The practice teaches students how to cope with stress, how to deal with crisis, separation and loss, and to develop coping strategies for each. In the training sessions students are taught that everyone experiences losses. They then generate a list of the families and personal losses that students, teachers, and school staff experience. Secondly, they recognize that grief is a natural human response to loss. They generate a list of accompanying losses or effects of the loss. In the third session, they remember losses and how they affect their lives in healthy and unhealthy ways. They generate a list of activities to promote this, i.e., with the death of the principal each student wrote a message on a leaf that was placed on a large memory tree in the school auditorium. In follow up sessions, redefining loss, redemption of loss, and emotional reactions were explored.

The practice addresses health literacy and educates teachers, students, and parents to communicate effectively. Goals are set and teachers, students, and parents learn strategies to solve and resolve conflicts. They use health-enhancing personal, interpersonal, and life skills to move out of grief and depression into a health state that contributes to wellness. The practice was assessed by classroom teachers through writing samples and verbal feedback on the tragic event. Assessments were made six weeks later, six months later, and a year later. At a memorial ceremony held six months later, in the death of the principal, students took an active role in the event, reading and sharing their stories with staff, administration, and family members who were gathered at the event. This format was used to help the school community deal with the loss of the World Trade Center and the effects of terrorism on our country.

Objectives:

1. To understand the ways young people act out their feelings, be they repressed or expressed in eruptive acts.
   
   
2. To recognize the changes that occur as a result of loss.
   
   
3. To acknowledge the effects of these changes and learn how to manage them.
   
   
4. To find healthy ways to help themselves and others go through grief.

Area 2: Activities:

The program was established to meet any traumatic event or crisis in a school district. We have processed death of a principal, World Trade Center loss, and recently, accidental death of a mother and her two daughters in front of our school building.

We have 19 members on this team, which consists of police, ministers, psychologists, social workers, teachers, public nurse, administrators, and parents who volunteer their time. During our last crisis where a mother and her two daughters were killed in front of our Crescent School Building, this team devoted the weekend to crisis counseling at the school for staff, parents and students. Members are contacted and have agreed to serve when needed during a crisis.

Area 3: Outside Resources:

This year we were recipients of the Project SERV grant from the NJ State Department of Education with funds awarded to our program. The West Bergen Counseling Center offers us counselors as needed for a crisis without charge.

Area 4: Evaluation:

Our work provides the transition back to the normal school routines so that students, teachers, and parents can regain their sense of purpose and move forward following a tragedy. Our students, staff and parents have learned that when we help each other we help ourselves. With this type of intervention, our school and students were able to resume their academic studies and move forward.

Area 5: Stability:

The Community Response Plan describes the organizational structure and the procedures for attending to a crisis. This document was developed by the Crisis Team and is modified each year at our annual meeting. It describes team composition, meeting place, chairperson, emergency notification, roles and responsibilities, school, municipal, clergy, mental health, media response, crisis procedures, avoiding scapegoating, survivor procedures, and plan maintenance. The committee has been in existence since October, 1998.

Dr. Carol Lynch, Director of Special Services serves as coordinator. The Waldwick Board of Education provides funding for the program operation. Recruiting and recognition of the program participants is coordinated by Dr. Lynch and Dr. Szabo, Superintendent of Schools. Orientation and training take place at the beginning of each school year. Dr. Sally Downham, national grief expert and former principal of Crescent School, wrote a book entitled Mourning and Dancing for Schools, which describes our process in detail; this book serves as a guide for the crisis team.

Area 6: Endorsements:

"It is my pleasure to endorse the Waldwick Crisis Team for an exemplary award. I have participated in numerous crisis team meetings around a range of events. The team works quickly and effectively to address often very complicated scenarios. They utilize the Crisis Response Team Plan as a template and act in a reasonable, caring, and professional manner. The team has coalesced nicely and there is great respect between its members. I recently had the unfortunate duty of participating in the teamwork around the tragedy of a mother and two elementary school children who were killed by a car right in front of their school. Despite our grief and shock, the team effectively dealt with the staff, the parents, the kids, the media, and the entire community at large. Every player on the team knew their role and worked well together."

Dave Glaser, LCSW, Director, West Bergen Center for Children and Youth

"In January of this year a terrible accident occurred where a mother and two children were killed as they were walking to school. Clergy were called in to be available and I came to counsel students who came for that purpose. I was not a member of the crisis team at the time, but I was very impressed at how fast their information network sent messages through the school and home to parents. Throughout the week the team met as necessary. During that week I also volunteered to be a member of the team. The people on the team do great and sacrificial work."

The Rev. Chris Hinnen, United Methodist Church of Waldwick

"The Crisis Response Team of the Waldwick Public Schools has proven itself invaluable in addressing the emotional and psychological needs of the Waldwick Community in the aftermath of severe community trauma. An example of their intervention efforts occurred in 1999 when our community lost a principal who was killed in a horrible automobile accident. Our Crisis Intervention team immediately mobilized and dealt with the needs of the Traphagen School Community in a flawless manner. Counselors were immediately put into action and a plan for dealing with the children's return to school, the handling of the funeral , and a lasting memorial tribute were all coordinated through the efforts of the team.

Two years later, Waldwick lost one of its residents in the horrific attack on the World Trade Center. Within hours of the attack, the Crisis Intervention Team was galvanized into action, providing assistance to the schools, community, and the families affected by the unimaginable disaster in New York City. The team remained on call throughout the week providing services as needed.

On January 4, 2002, a Crescent School parent was walking her two children to school, when an automobile lost control and ran over all of them on the sidewalk. The team remained in place during the following week to provide continued assistance for staff, students and community members to cope with the loss during the time of the funeral and for several days after the memorial service.

In sum, there is no finer group of committed individuals than the Waldwick Crisis Response Team. Their efforts have been immeasurable in assisting the Waldwick community deal with a series of extremely tragic situations. Their expertise, dedication, and compassion have allowed the community to rebound from unspeakable tragedy. It is without question that this team is deserving of an Exemplary Program Award."

John J. Szabo, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools