黑料爆料

On April 16, 2025, Calvary Christian School held a special graduation ceremony marking the completion of a four-week course designed to teach resilience skills to elementary and middle school students and their parents. The course, which began on March 12, was developed in partnership with 黑料爆料鈥檚 Resilience-Informed Skills Education (RISE) program and presented a youth-oriented version of RISE鈥檚 resilience-development model. Since its founding in 2019, the RISE program has offered a holistic approach to student well-being, teaching Pepperdine students resilience skills to help them navigate challenges in their university years and beyond.

RISE program graduation ceremony

Calvary was forced to temporarily relocate to an office space in Santa Monica after their school suffered significant damage in the recent wildfires. Many students either lost their own homes or knew someone who had. According to Connie Horton ('82), vice president for student affairs, the RISE program鈥檚 resilience lessons are especially helpful to learn early in life and particularly for those that have endured such a devastating event. 

鈥淚f these ideas can be introduced early, children can get on a good trajectory of how they think about and manage difficulty in their lives,鈥� shared Horton.

 Despite their young age, the children demonstrated impressive emotional and spiritual maturity that was rooted in their faith. RISE director Stacey Lee Gobir ('15) was amazed by their ability to lean on God for strength in the aftermath of such a harrowing experience.

"It was deeply emotional and inspiring to see the children find hope and comfort through their faith during such a difficult season of life,鈥� said Gobir. 鈥淗earing them express their beliefs and rely on God for strength to face each new day was a truly powerful experience.鈥�

RISE In Action

Divided into small groups led by both Pepperdine RISE staff and a team of eight trained RISE student leaders, the children first learned the foundational concepts of resilience before exploring four key dimensions鈥攑hysical, social, cognitive, and spiritual鈥攅ach rooted in both Biblical teachings and research-based practices. These four areas represented an abbreviated version of the six resilience dimensions typically taught to Pepperdine鈥檚 students. For Graduate School of Education and Psychology student Molly Adams, leading the sessions felt like a calling鈥攁n opportunity to support those impacted by the fires. 

Connie Horton and Pepperdine RISE staff and student leaders

鈥淚 was thrilled to help equip the children with practical resilience skills, and I was equally grateful for the chance to simply be a compassionate, empathetic presence in their lives,鈥� said Adams. She added, 鈥淧sychological formation is critical at these early ages, and reinforcing resilience skills throughout childhood and adolescence can be formative in young people鈥檚 development into adulthood.鈥� 

Throughout the sessions, the leaders were tasked with creating a space for thoughtful discussion and worked to make the material as engaging and interactive as possible. Activities and demonstrations helped the children become active participants, and each week, the students were guided into setting specific goals and action plans to apply that week's resilience focus in their daily lives. Adams saw firsthand the positive impact the sessions were having on the children and was delighted with the opportunity to serve as a mentor and guide in their resilience journey.

A Calvary student's RISE Road Map to Resilience

鈥淒uring one exercise on social resilience, which focused on listening with empathy and curiosity, I was nearly moved to tears by the compassion shown by the student I was paired with,鈥� said Adams. 鈥淎t the graduation, she handed me a handwritten note. It was deeply meaningful鈥攏ot just to have coached her in empathy, but to have truly experienced it together. That experience reminded me of the transformative power of what we鈥檙e teaching. Resilience skills aren鈥檛 just tools鈥攖hey鈥檙e the foundation for building meaningful relationships and navigating life with strength and compassion.鈥�

Katelyn Hsu, a Seaver College student and session leader, expressed deep pride and gratitude for how well the children embraced the RISE curriculum, and praised their strength in the aftermath of their recent hardships.

A Calvary student's Gratitude Tree

鈥淎s we presented the curriculum to the students and interacted with them over the weeks, I was deeply encouraged by their attentiveness, their willingness to engage with the material, and their openness about how the fire had impacted their journeys of resilience,鈥� shared Hsu. 鈥淥ne of the activities we did with the 7th-grade girls was creating a gratitude tree. Each student drew a tree and filled its leaves with the names of people or things they were thankful for. Seeing their trees overflowing with leaves was overwhelming. My heart was full as I saw how they embraced and expressed gratitude despite their difficult circumstances.鈥�

Seaver College student and fellow session leader Emily Luong also recognized the profound impact their teachings had on the children and, drawing from personal experience, understood that resilience would be essential to their lives.

鈥淩esilience is seen in all seasons of life and at any age,鈥� said Luong. 鈥淭he building blocks of resilience have transformed my life. I found it important to share what I鈥檝e learned with the kids so they would have the skills and mindset to navigate the challenges they face on a daily basis as well as what they will face in the future.鈥�

The Greater Impact

Beyond the children, Pepperdine鈥檚 partnership with Calvary has had a profound impact on the school鈥檚 faculty, staff, and broader community. Vincent E. Downey, Calvary's head of school, described Pepperdine鈥檚 RISE program as a crucial lifeline for the school community as it continues to heal and rebuild following the Palisades Fire. He noted that the program鈥檚 thoughtfully designed curriculum and intentional engagement has been instrumental in helping Calvary students develop essential resiliency skills, including emotional wellness, self-awareness, and coping strategies.

Pepperdine student leaders teaching RISE session

鈥淩ISE has provided our students with practical tools to process adversity, foster connection, and strengthen their inner capacity to navigate challenges with confidence,鈥� explained Downey. 鈥淥ur students are not only recovering鈥攖hey are being empowered with lifelong wellness habits that will serve them well into the future.鈥�

Vanessa Venegas, the school psychologist at Calvary, also highlighted the program鈥檚 positive impact on the children鈥檚 wellbeing and emphasized the invaluable life skills it provided to help them weather life鈥檚 unexpected challenges.

鈥淭his program has served as a pivotal stepping stone, allowing students to pause, reflect, and prioritize their emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing,鈥� shared Venegas. 鈥淲e are so grateful for the impact it made in their lives鈥�.

Looking Ahead

Although this was Pepperdine鈥檚 first time partnering with a K鈥�12 school to deliver a resilience program, Horton is optimistic that the success of these sessions will pave the way for expanding RISE to a broader range of audiences. She hopes the University can continue to expand outreach to help more universities, K鈥�12 schools, churches, and even to corporations and employers. 

鈥淓veryone needs resilience,鈥� Horton emphasized.