Look for the Helpers

Hello Everyone, I am happy to report that I am feeling a bit more grounded this morning.  I'll share that a member of my extended family, my 16-year-old nephew, had a serious medical event on Tuesday afternoon, (which was not Covid related).  While he is not out of the woods yet, he is being well cared for at the hospital and has shown some good improvements over the past 24 hours.  Needless to say, my family is breathing a bit easier this morning, and I thank anyone who is reading this for sending positive vibes my family's way!  Generally, my blog posts each day are born out of my musings, things I see or read, and my wish to convey messages of peace, calm, and clarity during this otherwise difficult time.  So it's funny that I ran across this photo on Sunday and had planned to post it at some point.  I think it fits for all of you, and it certainly is clear to me that I needed this message this week.      To say my last couple of ...

Good Morning Students, Because we're all in this together, school counselors and other employees are keeping an eye on what different school districts are doing to support kids.  Where necessary we borrow resources or ideas to create supports for our own kids.  Today I am grateful for a little support and am borrowing from Wayzata Public schools in Minnesota.  The staff there have created a beautiful virtual calming room for their students to enjoy.  Please feel free to check it out here .  My thoughts are very scattered today, and I am feeling that I don't have a lot to give this morning, so I am grateful for my unknown colleagues around the country and those that I do know in our own building that offered a little support at just the right time.    As I teach you all, it's best for us as humans to recognize our emotions, figure out the best way to address it with a tool, and give ourselves time and space to care for ourselves.  Today I a...

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Today's question of the day in my Google classroom was what are some of your favorite movies of all time?  This got me thinking about some of my favorites movies.  I decided to search out some clips from a couple of favorites to share with you.    I love this clip from Remember the Titans . It gives me goose flesh every time I watch it.  I remember visiting this same battlefield when I was a sophomore in high school and my older sister was looking at colleges.  I love the coach's insistence that the players will learn to respect each other regardless of whether they like each other.  His deeper belief is that with respect, comes understanding, and with understanding, comes compassion.  This is an idea that comes up in my office a lot, and it is certainly still an issue in our communities and our country today.  We have to learn to put our differences aside, listen to folks that we disagree with, and f...

Sometimes Mondays are hard.  Especially after being on break for a week and being out of our routines.  Sometimes there is a lot of stuff cluttering our brains, and sometimes you don't accomplish tasks in the time and space you think you should (for example this blog post - I generally like to do them first thing in the morning). I listened to an interview with Julie Andrews this past Sunday and she mentioned this idea about standing still.  Sometimes, it's as simple as that.  Stand still, ground yourself, breathe, listen, and take the next right step.    Happy Monday Everyone! Be Well, Mrs. Hempey

Happy Friday Everyone! Of course, I've had a little extra time on my hands this week, so you've all likely noticed that I've been watching documentaries and TV series that examine people and their unique lifestyles.  Yesterday was no different.  I started the six episodes series, Win the Wilderness , on Netflix.  I thought it sounded somewhat entertaining, and I needed something to watch as I ran on the elliptical in my basement.  This show was billed as a reality TV series where six couples from the UK came to Alaska to try to win a homestead on Ose Mountain.  The real reality was that this was a beautiful story of an older couple who together had dreams of living off the land and a passion for the Alaskan wilderness.  They followed their hearts, living off the grid while building a life and a home on Ose Mountain for 30 years.   The show chronicles their history and their desire to leave their legacy in new and capable hands, to a worthy ...

And we will dance, and never let go... Happy Thursday all! Be Well, Mrs. Hempey

Happy Wednesday! One of my daily routines that helps me stay pretty grounded is some time to exercise in the morning, and then a cup of vanilla caramel tea with sugar-free French vanilla creamer in it!  It's like candy in a cup!  Yummmmm!  As I sipped my tea and sat down to work for a bit...yes I know it's school break, but I just have a little bit to do...I realized that the quote on my tea mug connected to something a read yesterday.  I'll get to that bit later, but first, here is my mug... A student gave me this mug at the end of the school year last year, and it's often on my shelf at school because I love the quote and the sentiment, and feel that it is an important one to share.  However, in the summer (or during a pandemic) I bring it home and use it interchangeably with this one: I love that both of these mugs remind us that we are capable of managing tough things.  They remind me that when we believe in ourselves, we can come out ...

Happy Tuesday Everyone! On April 3rd, I made a post which mentioned the fact that I love watching people.  (You can read it here) .  A few days ago, I wrote about goal setting after watching Free Solo, a documentary about Alex Honnold. (Check it out here) .  My interest in goal setting and figuring out what makes people tick lead me to another great documentary film called, Unstoppable .  This film follows Bethany Hamilton, a Hawaiian surfer who lost her arm to a shark attack as a teenager.  Hamilton, like Alex Honnold, is a rare athletic specimen.  She was on her way to a professional career when her accident happened.  A month after the attack, she was back on her surfboard figuring out how to continue doing what she loved in new and different ways.  Her story is one of an individual who was not willing to compromise her dreams just because a roadblock was thrown in her path.  If you need another reason to remember that you are capab...

Hello all... Yes, I know it's a break, but I'm still writing!  Why you ask?  Because it has become therapeutic for me.  We've all got lots of time to think these days, and as my mind wanders, my thoughts about what's important in life solidify.  Writing them down helps me, and I hope it helps you too!  So I will continue to write a bit each day.  Yesterday I was thinking about kindness and little things that can make a person's day.  I was thinking about it because of a walk my family and I have been taking often lately. We live on a dirt road, at the far end of our town, and when you go out to walk you can either go up or go down.  Up tends to be muddier and there are some blind curves that don't lend themselves to walking with two kids.  So generally we go down.  There is a house about a mile and a half down the road, and we usually walk to their mailbox and turn around and come home.  We call the house Mrs. Baker's house bec...

I have a small quote hanging in my office, and it says, "set some goals, smash the heck out of them, and clap for your darn self." If you want to see an example of some goal setting, have a sit down this week to watch, Free Solo , the story of Alex Honnold, a free solo climber who scaled El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in June 2017.  Just watching is not for the faint of heart, but I was completely enthralled by Hannold's mental and physical preparation, as he began to consider undertaking this historic feat. One of my favorite portions of the film was when he began his first El Cap free solo attempt in the fall of 2016.  He quickly bailed when he didn't feel right about his ability to succeed.  I really appreciated his ability to recognize that ultimate success meant listening to his inner instincts telling him the time wasn't right.  I was really glad they included that failed attempt in the film.  Essentially, he allowed himself the room to fail ...

I hope you are enjoying the first day of vacation!   Just a little something for your consideration today... I feel like this song sums up a conversation I had with an individual recently.  Sometimes, in middle school, it can be hard to find your people.  In middle school, everyone is so focused on not standing out, it's just the nature of the age and of brain development in adolescence, but as you grow and mature, you find yourself and you find your people.   Just remember being true to you is the best way to connect with others.  When you are authentically yourself, you will attract others who share your values and who want to share life experiences with you.  So don't be afraid to be you, "and you will be found!"  In the meantime, "if you need a friend to carry you..." just reach out, "...you are not alone!"  Be Well, Mrs. Hempey

Happy Friday Everyone! I was looking at some old pictures yesterday after I posted my question of the day about nicknames, and it has got me feeling all nostalgic.  The train of remembering got me thinking about my school experience.  I have memories of things I did in school and I do believe that the content I learned created a knowledge base that I have leaned on throughout my life, so it certainly was important.  However, what I remember the most are the people that I worked with, and the overarching skills I learned (like organizing, managing time and synthesizing information)!  My grade school was a PreSchool to 8th-grade school, and I remember every teacher I had from first grade on. -In Mrs. Valadota's first grade I remember her welcoming me to my desk on the first day - I sat across from a boy named Chris Terrien, who I think is a cardiologist now. -In Ms. Pelette's Second grade classroom, I member that she noticed I needed glasses and that I had a ha...

It's Thursday, good morning!  We are almost to break and what a wild ride it has been from when we arrived back at school after February vacation to now.  Who would have thought that our entire system of education as we all know it would get turned on its head!  This has been hard for us all - students, teachers, and staff alike.  We've had to transform ourselves, get really creative, and lean on our ability to be resilient and gritty.  As a counselor, and a human being, I naturally tend to experience (or maybe tune into) people when they are in the midst of some sort of personal or intrapersonal struggle.  At the outset, people tend to take their struggles pretty personally.  It's easy to have that why me attitude.  To wonder why the world is conspiring against you to make your life difficult?  It's easy to blame, and complain, and make excuses.  But I'll tell you that over the 25ish years I have been doing this work, the people tha...

Wednesday...it's Wednesday, everybody!  Last night my husband and I watched one of our favorite musicians, Jack Johnson, perform live from his home in Hawaii in an effort to support the  World Health Organization , which works worldwide to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable, and Global Citizen , a foundation committed to ending extreme poverty by 2030.  Global Citizen's, One World Together at Home series has put together 70+ Artists in a digital TV special.  If you haven't checked out any of these performances, you really should.  It's like having amazing musicians show up right in your living room to perform just for you!  Naturally, this morning my thoughts are on Johnson's soulful music, whose beautiful lyrics and mellow sound are something I could listen to all day.  (His song, Better Together, was our wedding song, in fact!)  I knew that one of his songs or a couple of them could inspire us today!  I s...

Happy Tuesday, y'all! You do know I start most days with a reminder of what day it is right...lest we all forget!! 😆😆 Just for fun, I thought I'd post a little Dude Perfect.  We watch these trick shot clips in AG every once in a while.   If you are a staff member reading this blog, and you've never seen dude perfect, you're welcome!  😁  These guys are crazy funny, sure to brighten any day, and pretty entertaining when you don't have too much else to do.    As I was reviewing these clips, I was wondering how the heck these guys got started doing what they are doing?  They spend all day thinking up and performing crazy games and cool trick shots.  These days they have a whole gym/warehouse to practice and play in, and they've created their own brand that they are living off of comfortably.  Of course, it didn't start that way, right?  I was curious, so I googled it...turns out they were five college roommates from ...

The Crossett Brook Staff wishes to cheer your spirits on this rainy Monday morning!  Enjoy these messages from all of us to you! Remember, we put out lots of information about supporting you through all of this, you know reminding you how to keep a positive frame of mind - look on the bright side - all of that, but it's okay to feel sad too...   Sadness is part of the human experience, so when it comes, let yourself experience it, and when it moves past, use a strategy to get your brave back on.   Be well today Cougars!   Mrs. Hempey

Happy Sunday all! If you are celebrating a holiday today, Easter or Passover, I wish you a day filled with peace and family connections. In the last few days, I've been thinking a lot about the idea of work (and for you, school) as home...it has really resonated with me, and I, like many of you I am sure, are grieving the loss of it right now.  During normal times, when we don't have a pandemic, it's pretty common to grumble because we have to wake up early, we have to juggle all of our tasks and responsibilities, we have to manage difficult moments, and we have to put energy into things that we wish we didn't have to.  Then something like this comes along, and it opens our eyes, reminding us just how important those routines, experiences, and the people that come along with them are. Along with the early mornings come bright greetings and warm welcomes, along with the tasks and responsibilities, come support and encouragement, along with the difficult moments, c...

This is a favorite song that I like to play for my AG.  Not sure we've watched it this year, so I thought I'd share it with all of you!  Keep you head up folks! Be well, Mrs. Hempey

Happy Friday Everyone, The following are core values outlined by Ryan Hawks, through the Flyin' Ryan Foundation .  Many of you who ski or snowboard in The Valley might be familiar with who he was.  He wrote these core values before a skiing accident claimed his life.     He wanted to... Live every day, all day Never stop exploring life Never lose my adventuresome spirit Be the best friend I can be Be the best brother, son, uncle I can be Play like I am 13 Look out for others Look out for myself Look out for our surroundings Be self-sufficient Don’t be afraid to ask for help Work hard Live easy Live simply Ryan was freeskier who grew up in VT and was  a founding member of the Green Mountain Freeride Team and an admired competitor, and he was known as “Flyin' Ryan” on the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour.    I love personally love his simple core values and have them posted in both of my kid's rooms....

Good Morning Everyone! So one of my all-time favorite movies is  The Sound Of Music .  I think many of you have watched it in your music classes or in chorus class, but if you haven't watched it before, you really should give it a look-see.  Lots of singable music, and some classic lessons about love, kindness, equality, compassion, and flexibility.   Because we're all looking for things to do and because we all need things we enjoy to lean on during this time, I thought I might start a list of some of my favorite things to get you thinking.  But first, a little Maria to get you started... So with that inspiration, here is a list of my favorite things ... Fireplaces/Campfires Skiing Clean sheets Fancy Desserts Coaching basketball Mountain biking Routines Eating out Reading good books Making lists The smell of spring Visiting big cities Inspirational quotes/sayings/pictures Taking photos of my kids Driving with th...

Happy Hump Day Everyone!  This one goes out to you Ms. Stafford, and to all of you who have made it to Wednesday this week!  In the interest of keeping it light today, I thought that this creative family might get you giggling... Has anyone else done this or something similar with your families?  Anyone taught your parents a TikTok dance?  I've seen some pretty good videos of normally "uncool" adults like me hitting TikTok dances out of the park!  If you and your family are getting creative together, comment below with what you've been up to, or even better yet, send me a pic and I'll include it in my blog!  I hope you've all been having a great week so far.  Please remember to reach out if you need me.  I am only a computer screen away!  Be Well, Mrs Hempey

Welcome to Tuesday Everyone! Over the past few days, I have been thinking about helping others - finding ways amid this crisis to do things for others - and how when we help others it makes our own days and weeks brighter.  This past weekend, I spent all of Saturday and most of Sunday making masks for my family and a few close friends who needed them.  The project kept me busy, and it felt good to know that I was doing what I could to help the effort, with the resources I had to hand.  Yesterday my daily question in my Google Classroom was, "describe something you did this past weekend that was helpful to someone," and I was happy to hear from so many students who took the time to support others in their free time.  I started really thinking about how helping others helps us after twice hearing a story about Margaret Mead, an American cultural anthropologist.  I went digging a bit deeper and found an article written by Remy Blumenfeld on March 21st.  E...

Good Monday Morning to you all!  As we enter week four of our distance learning program, I wanted to remind you all that U Matter!!! One of my biggest concerns having you all so physically disconnected is that you will feel alone and/or insignificant.  I encourage you to take stock of the ways that you are still connected to those around you  - either physically (your family), virtually (school and peers), and emotionally (to the millions of people across the globe who are in this with you - Consider becoming a penpal with someone who needs to hear from you - get your parents permission first).    I want to remind you that you have people you can reach out to if you are ever feeling lonely or in need. The following are a list of resources available to you if you are feeling sad, lonely or are thinking about harming yourself. School Staff: Mrs. Hempey - jhempey@huusd.org or call or text 560-5163 Mr. Estes - joshestes@huusd.org Nurse Saunders - ks...

I've been watching this father Daughter duo the last couple of days, and although I like their sound, I also really liked this song and the message.   The original song was released by Andrea Bocelli and Italian opera singer and his son Matteo in 2018.   I implore you all to remember that you have people to fall on should you need it.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  If you need help or are feeling isolated, please reach out to me or another trusted adult.  We are here for you, and you are loved.  Be well, Mrs Hempey

It's Friday...the end of another long (but manageable) week.  Welcome back! Every once in awhile someone will ask me why I decided to become a school counselor, and it's often hard to articulate the answer.  When I saw this Facebook spot this morning, I felt like it gave me a way to explain why.  It is a poignant message about the moment in time, and a beautiful reminder of all that we still have, and it gave me a way to describe my passion for this work.  I love people's faces - metaphorically speaking.  I love the stories they tell, the good they are capable of, the storms they can withstand, and the joy they share with those around them.  Sometimes, when my family is in a public space (back when we used to enjoy public spaces anyway), my husband will say to me, "stop staring!"  I am horrible about it at times, but frankly, people fascinate me!  I am so interested in the stories behind the faces.  Really that is what being a counsel...

Good Morning Everyone, Just a reminder that this, this thing, that we are doing...is HARD.  So I just need you to There's going to be a lot of lumps along the way, and the usual things that challenge you are going to challenge you still.  Try to remember to take a few minutes each hour to check-in with yourself and those around you.  Do a gratitude check, focus on the things that are going right or that make you feel good, and try to let go of the things that aren't working so well.  When you check in with yourself if you find that you're struggling, please reach out to someone.  Let someone in your house know how you are doing, text a friend, reach out to a teacher (especially if you are struggling with work - they really want to hear from you), or email me if you'd like to chat.  Hang in there everyone!  Mrs. Hempey

Good Morning Sunshine! So like many of you, I am sure, I have developed a bit of a routine for this new normal.  I wake up around 6:30 so that I have time to exercise for a half-hour and then get cleaned up, dressed, and ready to be at my desk for 7:30. Part of "arriving" at work for me is making sure I have my tea in hand and my slippers on.  This morning, I could not find my slippers! They weren't by the front door where I sometimes leave them if I switch into my sneakers for outdoor time. They weren't on the back porch where we were working on bikes yesterday afternoon before going out the back door. They weren't under the kitchen table where they sometimes get kicked off at dinner time. They weren't next to my bed...yes, the logical place, you'd think! They weren't in either of my kid's rooms, so I hadn't kicked them off while reading stories at bedtime. They weren't under my work desk, which was unfortunately the last p...