Mr. Cheney has developed a program he calls “The CRUSADER Mindset”. The components of this mindset work together to create mental stamina and the ability to appropriately respond to both stress and obstacles.
Hello Faith Families! We hope your year is off to a great start. Whether you are fully online, hybrid, cohort A-L, cohort M-Z, middle school, or high school we can all agree on one thing:
This is a year like no other.
I don’t know if you are as tired of the word “unprecedented” as I am, but I cannot argue that it is certainly applicable. As adults we have all had to learn how to solve problems we had never imagined and have had to think outside of boxes we didn’t even know existed ...How long is it acceptable to be unmasked while eating? Can 120 classrooms live stream at the same time? And what is a Swivl?!
We can all agree that the last six months have been taxing, stressful, and….unprecedented. Unnervingly, research is showing that the greatest toll of all has been on our children (Click to read an article from the NASP). While children are known for being notoriously resilient, having an entire world flipped upside down and become suddenly very unsafe is unnerving even for the most well adjusted child.
As part of our reopening plan at Faith Lutheran, we committed to responding to these changing social and emotional needs. We are very blessed to not only have seven licensed counselors (and one therapy dog!) on staff, but also to have our very own Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC). In addition to holding this certification, Mr. Mark Cheney has spent summers working with elite athletes at IMG Academy in Florida as a mental conditioning coach. If you have an athlete or an Honors Institute student in our high school, you may already be familiar with Mr. Cheney’s work. He is genuinely passionate about helping students become the very best version of themselves.
Mr. Cheney has developed a program he calls “The CRUSADER Mindset”. The components of this mindset work together to create mental stamina and the ability to appropriately respond to both stress and obstacles. While these are great tools under “normal” times, we believe they are essential as we help kids navigate and grow through the stress of a pandemic. Topics include optimism, goal setting, adaptability, and how to relieve stress through the practices of mindfulness and gratitude.
Throughout the course of the school year, students will receive a video every three weeks teaching about a component of the CRUSADER Mindset, as well as tools and strategies to use in real life. All of this information will be housed on the parent and student resource board in Crusader Connect under “CRUSADER Mindset”.
Our mission at Faith Lutheran is “Everyone Prepared! Everyone Saved!” and we believe that the knowledge and strategies students will receive through this program will be a lasting preparation for any obstacles life will throw at them.
Excited to grow with you,
Mrs. Courtney Burns and Mr. Mark Cheney
You can watch the video introduction to this program here.