College of Psychology Joins Forces with Pines Charter School

The post-COVID return to the classroom has been challenging for many schools. In order to re-engaged students returning to Pembroke Pines Charter High School, school administrator Cindhia Velez was tasked with leading the school’s new social-emotional learning (SEL) initiative.  As a parent, NSU College of Psychology Associate Professor Timothy Razza, Psy.D., has served on several parent advisory boards for the Pembroke Pines charter system and was asked to serve as the parent representative for the SEL team.  The result was a collaboration between Razza’s PSYC 4810 course and the high school. The course offered through the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, titled Practicum in Community Psychology, allows NSU students to apply their knowledge of psychology principles in real-world settings. In this case, Razza’s students would assist Pembroke Pines Charter High School staff with the social emotional learning program starting in the Winter 2022 semester.

Pembroke Pines Charter High School already had implemented an initiative titled Mindfulness Mondays, however its impact left students with little interest in its content. One high school student remarked that the videos and discussions were “boring” using this model. Based on student feedback, the PSYC 4810 students, or the SEL facilitators, enhanced the initiative by providing information and activities that were both engaging and collaborative. SEL or Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is regarded as one of the most important skills students need to learn developmentally. The SEL team consisted of ten College of Psychology undergraduate students. They were Jozef Cruz, Aimee Villar, Ally Shah, Emily Martinez, Evelyn Pinto, Kylah Michel, Meagan Fernandez, Megan Alicea, Neida Rangel, and Quinn Tompkins.

NSU students provided classroom presentation and discussion based on themes selected by the school and teachers. Themes included stress management, dealing with depression, setting priorities, learning to accept emotions, demonstrating respect to others, and related topics. Presentations were made to all high school and some middle school grades. The team presented throughout each week in order to interact with as many students as possible.

Due to this outreach, the feedback has been extremely positive. Parents, teachers, administrators, and most importantly, students have welcomed these presentations and have shown greater interest in the themes presented. With the positive impact on students, some teachers have requested additional visits from the team. One welcomed outcome from the SEL team’s presentation is that students can openly discuss mental health with their peers. It is hoped, that because of these open conversations, there will be less hesitancy in seeking help regarding mental health issues. The success of the program has also been highlighted in the high school’s newspaper. Click HERE to read the article.

With the success of this initiative, the high school and College of Psychology plan to continue it in the fall 2022 semester.

Posted 05/08/22