NN May 2020 Page 5

By Brent Learned — Denver, Colorado … The RMC Youth Department hosted their first Greater Summit: Conversations event for our youth and young adults on May 1. This virtual event featured mental health expert, Dr. Tiffany Llewellyn from Johns Hopkins University, who gave a TED talk-style presentation followed by a live Q and A session on the topic of “Mental Health in Isolation.”

The statistics on mental health challenges facing young people today are staggering, she said. One in five young adults suffers from anxiety and more than 50 percent will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime according to cdc.gov and childtrends.org. The percentage of young Americans experiencing mental health disorders has risen significantly over the past decade, with no corresponding increase in older adults, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

In her presentation, Dr. Llewellyn addressed the impact of social isolation on all of us. She said, “What we are able to manage, what we have control over, is what’s happening with us in this moment of isolation. I what you to think about our conversation today as how can I manage myself in this moment even if I cannot control and manage the moment.”

She continued that “what happens when we experience anxiety or stress is that we worry because there is a threat to our mental and physical safety. There is something that is heightening our worry and heightening our fears and heightening that stress for us because we experience it as a threat again ourselves and against or safety in every single way. what is happening in the brain is that the brain sends signals and our cortisol levels go up and our executive functioning goes down so that we experience a heightened sense of worry, but we experience inability and a cloudiness of how to deal with that worry.”

Addressing the Zoom participants, she stated, “I want to leave you with today is how to be able to bring up your executive functioning, clear your minds, and manage what’s happening with yourself in the moment of COVID-19. What is happening when we are in that heightened worry, when our executive functioning is lowered, when there is a threat to our physical safety is we experience what we call fight, freight, or freeze. When we fight there is that irritability, that tension, our jaws tighten we really want to be able to fight that threat. Or for others there might be the flight. We might feel trapped we want to get away from this. We may me thinking, how do I escape this thing? There might be restlessness or feeling fidgety. Or for others there might be what we call the freeze. we freeze up. We are num or there is a stiffness. We really don’t know how to move. Knowing how you respond to stress is going to be really important to how I am able to guide this conversation and what sort of coping mechanisms may be most helpful for you. Remember, there is no one size fits all.”

A live Q and A session followed her presentation, and attendees asked Dr. Llewellyn questions about how to work through personal mental health challenges, how to recognize and help friends and family members work through mental health challenges, and when to seek professional help.

Among the questions posed by the attendees were, “How can we pinpoint specific       stress/anxiety triggers inside ourselves?” “What are healthy ways to address and deal with anticipatory grief?” “How does the Sabbath fit into the mental health conversation?” Also asked was the question, “What mental health resources such as apps, book, podcast, etc., have you, Dr. Llewellyn, found most helpful and would recommend to others during this difficult time of social isolation?”

The last part of the event was split into separate youth and youth adult Zoom “social spaces,” where 50 attendees had the opportunity to hang out together and engage in some fun small-group interaction.

During the social space small-group conversations, there was a palpable sense of appreciation for the information and inspiration Dr. Llewellyn shared during the event and hope that we will get through this pandemic together as a community and come out the other side stronger because of it.

A BIG shout out to the youth pastors and youth leaders from the Mile High MVMNT for hosting the zoom social space for the youth who attended the event.

—Brent Learned is RMC associate director; illustration supplied.

By Ardis Stenbakken — Loveland, Colorado … “Hey, some of us are meeting in the church parking lot at 5:00 to have a drive-by to encourage our pastors.” That was all it took for at least 23 cars to line up and drive by the Campion Church pastors’ homes, waving signs and posters, and dropping off cards, food items, and cheering gifts.

It all started that same Sabbath morning when Heidi Sorensen saw a Facebook posting from Sarah Schwisow. It was exactly what Heidi had been thinking: “Pray for and encourage your pastors and their families. Perhaps reach out to them today and let them know how much you appreciate their ministry.” The Facebook post continued, “Happy the minister who has a faithful Aaron and Hur to strengthen his hands when they become weary, and to hold them up by faith and prayer. Such a support is a powerful aid to the servant of Christ in his work and will often make the cause of truth to triumph gloriously.” (Ellen G. White, Gospel Workers, p. 92).

The Campion pastors had been working hard to hearten all the members, and then they found out that there was COVID-19 among the Campion Academy staff. Discouragement in the midst of a pandemic! “I thought they were bummed and needed encouragement,” Heidi said, and called Sarah. The idea of doing a drive-by took wings. By word of mouth the word spread, and at 5:00 the cars gathered, full of families and laughter. “It was so good to be out and doing something together even while keeping safe and social spacing,” said one of the participants.

The cars lined up and headed for Pastor and Mrs. Morss’s apartment. The caravan took two trips around the complex, leaving other renters standing in wonder as to what might be happening. Then they were off to the Soriano home; Nestor and Katherine were self-quarantining but stood in the doorway to see all pass by. Then the group was off to the Goetz’ home; Pastor Micheal and Melanie were in the yard, waving and taking pictures. The neighbor and children were in their own yard, watching. The lady was heard to tell the children, “You can wave but you need to stay out of the way. All these people are from their church.”

Madi and Olivia Jordan had spent hours that day creating large banners that said thanks to each pastoral family; a group of kids jumped out of cars and ran these and other signs and goodie bags to place them in from of each pastor’s front doors.

—Ardis Stenbakken is Campion Church’s communication department chair; photos by Heidi Sorensen and Carey Jordan

By Theron Treat — Loveland, Colorado … This past month, staff and student volunteers have assisted English Language Learning (ELL) students by holding Zoom meetings with them so they can continue to grow their English skills. Sami Hodges, a student volunteer, described her meetings with Airi, who is currently in Japan, “Every Monday and Wednesday evening, I set up a Zoom meeting and we just talk for about 20-30 minutes. Sometimes we use sample conversational prompts, but other times we just spend time visiting and getting to know each other more.” Despite not being paid for helping, the volunteers plan to continue to spend time faithfully with the ELL students over the rest of this school year.

Campion Academy principal, Don Reeder, has been a part of this program as well. “They [Victor and Yan] are improving their English language skills,” says Reeder. “It has been fun to talk with them even while they’ve been in Brazil. I am so glad technology can keep us connected.”

Despite being thousands of miles apart, students can learn English with others as if they are in the same room together. This helps students retain their knowledge of English so that they don’t lose what they have gained during their time in the United States.

A number of Campion ELL students spent only a few months in the U.S. before having to return to their home countries. Victor, from Brazil, is one of those students. “In the beginning, I only understood what the teachers said, and I knew how to answer only the basics. With the conversation classes, I learned to improve my English and today, I talk to students and teachers in a much more relaxed way.”

The Zoom meetings with volunteers have been essential in helping the students continue to make progress in English and will help them be ready for classes when they return to Campion in the fall. If you would like to volunteer in this program through the summer, contact Jill Harlow.

—Theron Treat, text; photo by Samantha Hodges

By Karrie Meyers — Highlands Ranch, Colorado … If teachers had been asked at the beginning of the 2019/20 school year about plans for the weeks leading up to Mile High Academy’s graduation, responses would have included classroom parties, the annual Senior Walk, field trips, completing lessons and preparing final tests. Instead, the hallways are empty, void of laughter and displays of recent student work. But other than the new normal of “seeing” their students through a Zoom classroom, MHA teachers are hard at work looking for unique ways to make remote learning fun while still providing an exemplary, Christ-centered education from a distance.

“It has been difficult for our teachers to only be with their students remotely since Spring Break,” said Jamie Frain, MHA’s Vice Principal of School Culture. “But they have hit this challenge head on, without hesitation. The teachers have remained focused while continuing to find solutions to ease the challenges of remote learning for students and their families. It’s inspiring to work with the dedicated teachers we have on this team.”

Since this week (May 4-8) is Teacher Appreciation Week, MHA’s Parent Teacher Organization and school community wanted to make teacher gifts special, something not only showing them how much they’re loved, but that expresses the uniqueness of the year. Each teacher received a personalized book, made just for them and filled with memories, thoughts, thank-yous and pictures from their students. They also received #VirtualEducator t-shirts, toilet paper rolls with the message “thank you for rolling with us this school year,” water bottles, chocolates and gift cards.

MHA parent, board member and alum Brodie Philpott has experienced first-hand the extra mile these teachers go to make sure their students are receiving the best education possible. “My favorite thing about MHA is being part of a community that supports my family and kids,” said Philpott. “The teachers really care and check in with us to see how our family is doing in addition to asking how school is going. Because of their concern and the extra steps, they have taken, the switch to remote learning has gone seamlessly for our family.”

Upper School parent Mara Espinosa expressed similar gratitude. “The teachers at MHA invest in their students, going above and beyond what is asked of them. This is a unique time for all of us. And before remote learning even started, the teachers had already sent communication and plans about how they would work towards every objective during remote learning. When I shared with my friends and neighbors about the plans MHA already had in place, they too were very impressed. And the teachers have continued to work hard to made the educational process as streamlined as possible. We are thankful to have such amazing, God-loving teachers at our school and in our sons’ lives.”

While in the midst of graduation and end-of-the-year planning, thoughts are already shifting to the next school year. “A certain amount of uncertainty will remain as Mile High Academy continues to maneuver through the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Frain. “However, one thing is certain. Our teachers are ready to face whatever challenges may arise. They love their students. They work hard to support students in many different areas. They will continue to make Mile High Academy different!”

— Karrie Meyers; photos by Jocelyn Aalborg 

By Lonnie Hetterle – Denver, Colorado …We live in challenging and, in many ways, uncharted times. I thought the world was changing rapidly during my younger years, but that was nothing compared to the last two months. The changes that we’ve been forced to accept would have been considered “crazy speculation” even as we welcomed 2020.  We have been blessed to have digital platforms like Zoom to enable us to continue on, even though we cannot meet in person or face to face. I’m not sure that we will ever go back completely to what we used to consider “normal.”

This paradigm shift has impacted our churches and the conference office, but perhaps the greatest area impacted is our schools, our children, and their teachers. With very little to no advance warning, we have asked our educators to continue molding young minds and imparting knowledge without the benefit of that personal, hands-on, classroom touch.

It is said that difficult times bring out the true character of individuals, and I have been so very impressed with the response of our dedicated and passionate Adventist educators who have embraced this challenge with an inspirational and devoted effort.  They have gone above and beyond to creatively meet the needs of their students. They have become experts in Zoom and other instructional platforms. They have discovered new websites and on-line learning tools to enhance their teaching. They have, in a very short time, become experts in digital learning. They continue daily to explore new and creative ways to meet the needs of each one of their students.

This is Teacher Appreciation Week. I have always appreciated our wonderful teachers and have seen their hard work, shared in their passion for their students, and felt their struggles. I have always felt that Rocky Mountain Conference has among the very best teachers in the world and this has been affirmed as I have watched them handle this challenge. As I have observed the countless hours and steep learning-curves they have had to climb, I have seen their true core values come out so prominently. My appreciation for them has moved to an even deeper level of true admiration. There is no better place for our children than at the feet of these master teachers.

Here are a couple of comments that I have noted concerning the education in our Seventh-day Adventist schools:

“I want to say that you and the school are doing such an AMAZING job with the remote learning. Your desire to reach out to families for feedback and then actually implement that feedback is truly wonderful. It makes us feel so cared for. And with my oldest child attending a different school, I can tell you that your actions are above and beyond as compared to what other schools are doing. Another reason I adore this school and feel so blessed, you guys are leading our children!”

“Our family has been blessed by the teachers who have gone above and beyond to help our children successfully finish the year.”

“Even though it’s hard, and it may seem as if it’s endless and not worth it, you are all doing a “good job!” So proud of VRA and the staff and teachers!! Thank you for your time and efforts through this all!” 

Speaking of “good job” there are so many people who often go unrecognized that are our heroes today, and this includes our teachers. As the new song by Alicia Keys says, they are doing a “Good Job”.

Please know that God is still in charge. Stay close to Him and let’s show our children and young people how important He is by our words and actions as we walk this path together.

Thank you, teachers!

—Lonnie Hetterle is RMC Education Superintendent; Photo by VRA Facebook page