Albuquerque Public Schools
Students Lauded for Learning to Deal With Tough Situations
New APS Integrated Support Team strives to give students tools to deal with conflict constructively.
Henizjay Langford, a sixth-grader at Jackson Middle School, has learned a lot this semester.
He's learning the typical stuff like grammar and math. But he has also discovered important life skills, like how to handle situations that make him angry in ways that don't land him in hot water.
He's grateful for Lydia Williams, the student success champion he's been working with this school year.
"I tell her, and she helps," Henizjay said. "When I'm mad I can talk to my support network or her."
His support network includes friends, people he's learned he can talk to and voice how he's feeling when something happens. Those are tools that members of the district's new Integrated Support Team say can keep a situation from escalating.
Henizjay was one of about 40 students from throughout Albuquerque Public Schools participating in a community collaboration meeting on Friday. Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Justice and Salute to Youth Mentoring Program were on hand to provide information for students and their families.
The event also served as a forum to recognize the progress participating students have made this school year. The team, which is part of the APS Police Department, strives to help students with social skills and coaches them to deal with their feelings in a productive manner.
Holiday music played in the background as Santa greeted participants ranging from elementary students to high schoolers. They enjoyed pizza, received a gift, and participated in fun activities like decorating cookies.
The event was dubbed "Change Maker Event: Building Better Communities One Choice at a Time." Beyond being a reward, it was an opportunity for students and their families to interact with and continue building trust with APS Police offers.
Among those who addressed the students and their families was U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez.
"I'm a person who uses words … to have fights in court instead of my fists," Uballez told them. "The words are a lot more powerful. With our words, we can achieve a whole lot more than with our fists."
He challenged students to be brave, to forgive others and to help build the community they deserve.
"We're here to learn to use our voices, to take care of each other, to take care of our families and our community, and to make it better," Uballez said.
Uballez and Deputy APS Police Chief Steven Marez helped present each of the students with a Change Maker award for demonstrating the skills, habits, and mindsets most aligned to life success: perseverance, self-regulation, self-efficacy, and social awareness.
"We're learning how to stop and breathe. We’re learning how to communicate, use words, and make friends," said Shantail Miller, director of the APS Police Department Integrated Support Team. "You’ve made big progress in one or all of these areas."