Wellness Team
The health and safety of our scholars is at the forefront of everything we do at The ASK Academy. We understand the benefits of an integrated, holistic social and emotional learning (SEL) program. Improved academic performance, enhanced mental health, increased resilience, responsible decision-making, improved self-awareness and self-management, stronger social skills, and well-developed advocacy skills are just some of the skills that contribute to a scholar's well-being and sense of belonging.
As a team, each member of our faculty, staff, and administration partners with our scholars and their families to ensure that our SEL program supports our scholars’ success and promotes a healthy, positive, inclusive learning environment.
We work on the skills outlined above daily; formally through our Fundamental Connections time in middle school and Career Pathways time in high school. In addition, our school counselors, social workers, nurse, Academic Dean, and Director of Special Services work to implement specific supports to our scholars as well as develop and deliver professional development training to our staff. Informally, our school culture is such that our teachers, given their close relationships with our scholars, embed our SEL principles into their curriculum and daily interactions with our scholars.
Our team is eager to provide support, and regularly shares information with our parents on our SEL objectives. If you have any questions regarding how we can best support your scholar, please feel free to reach out to a member of our Wellness Team.
Wellness Team
Roberta Torrez Brown
6th - 8th Grade Academic Counselor/9th - 12 Grade Social/Emotional Counselor
rbrown@theaskacademy.org
Michelle Douma
6th-8th Grade Social Emotional Counselor
mdouma@theaskacademy.org
Jamie Banks
School Social Worker & McKinney Vento Liason
jbanks@theaskacademy.org
Jocelyn Benavides
School Social Worker
jbenavides@theaskacademy.org
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
*If at ANY TIME you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis please call ReachNM Youth Hotline at 505-591-9444. Reach NM offers a safe, highly accessible, peer support resource and supportive space for New Mexico youth to connect with an advocate to access the resources they need. Reach NM is a direct line to a trained CYFD Advocate who can direct youth and teens to resources, open a case to start an investigation or refer them to other agencies that can help. The text line is always anonymous unless the youth decides to offer his or her name.
*If you have any concern for the safety of yourself or someone else, CALL 9-1-1 IMMEDIATELY. Police officers are trained to conduct wellness visits and have the resources to connect individuals in need with appropriate services.