Knightly News

Greater Baton Rouge area students and families are invited to Planting Seeds of Hope, a discussion on mental wellness, on Monday, January 29th at 6 pm in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The event will feature Brandon Saho, host of the popular podcast The Mental Game, and is presented by the Rain Will Bring Flowers Foundation, LSU Athletics, the LCLUB, the Joe Burrow Foundation and Our Lady of the Lake Health. The Episcopal counselors and coaching staff encourage the school community to take advantage of this opportunity. We often think of counselors when it comes to student well-being; however, this event showcases the role everyone plays in taking care of students.

When Athletic Director Randy Richard learned of The Mental Game event, he asked the coaches to keep the date free from practices and games so that athletes are available to participate. It’s a strong statement of support for students. “As coaches, it is our responsibility to put our student-athletes in the best possible position to succeed on and off the field,” says Richard. “Just like we ask our students to push themselves physically to improve muscle memory and strength, making sure we are attentive to the whole child, we must include an awareness of our student athletes and their mental health.”

An athlete's coach frequently serves as a mentor, teacher and listening ear.  Richard says coaches take that role seriously and make it a point to be aware of each athlete’s situation. “Coaches have long worked to determine when to taper down workouts, practice times, and scheme implementation, but more recently, our coaches are engaging student-athletes’ abilities to perform with not only what’s going on during team time, but also outside of it,” he says. “Simple questions like how’s your day or approaching a student after hearing of a social ‘falling out’ are simple but crucial points to be aware of in today’s world.  Our coaches want to be on the forefront of that, if for nothing else than to enhance each individual student's experience on our teams. By participating in events like this, we take another step in educating each other and remembering it’s more than just wins and losses it’s about caring for students.”

A Whole Child Effort Means a Range of Support

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “ADHD, anxiety problems, behavior problems, and depression are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children.” These issues can especially impact a child’s ability to learn. With this in mind, the Episcopal counseling team provides a range of support services to students in all divisions throughout the year. “This is part of our whole child effort,” says Learning Support Services Counselor Robin Talamo. Part of preparing students for lives of purpose and meaning means helping them develop soft skills like executive functioning, self-advocacy and coping with stress and emotions. Support takes many forms, from Leveled Literacy Intervention reading groups and peer tutoring to extended testing time and reader pens. The three full-time counselors also focus on student well-being and mental health with age-appropriate presentations and one-on-one discussions.

Families Need Support Too

Student support efforts also include families. Talamo leads the Parents U-Knighted support group for families of students with learning differences. She has seen how impactful it is for families when they connect with others and share tips and support. On the student level, the student group OYES (Owning Your Educational Success) is piloting a mentoring program in which the group’s Upper School students are paired with a Middle School student. The hope is that the Upper School students can model best practices and offer tips to help the Middle School students succeed.

To help families stay current with trends in mental health, school counselors often bring in industry experts to dive deeper into specific topics. Examples of previous discussions have focused on learning differences and online safety. Participating in these events offers parents more information, access to others in a similar situation and the confidence to help their child. See below for a list of upcoming events.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2024-2025 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.