Building Resilience at AFIA

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We are excited to announce that we have hired local artist and trauma-informed resilience educator, Beth Sarver, to be our Resilience Coordinator. This innovative position is an important addition to our school community as it supports the school’s student-centered, arts integrated approach to teaching and learning.

Sarver comes to AFIA from Truman Medical Center Behavioral Health, where she built the medical center’s Trauma-Informed Care initiative and developed its mental health innovation program with area first responders. She has 13 years’ experience as an artist educator. Whether teaching a parent-child play group or a resilience training for KC metro first-responders, she brings a grounded creative spirit to her teaching. She’s a visionary thought leader in the KC metro area; as an artist, activist, educator, and community builder she’s endlessly dynamic and interactive.

As a mindfulness and self-regulation teacher, Sarver will assist in the successful intervention with students who need additional support through skillful brain-based de-escalation, calming, and resetting for learning. Sarver will work with the leadership team to develop a comprehensive approach to support all students and teachers while also sharpening current practices and developing new work processes.

“Nationwide we are hearing more dialogue about the importance of rethinking how we approach discipline and mental health in our schools. As a school, we see this position as a way to continue our work in creating a resilient, responsive school culture. Since Beth joined us in January, she has already had a significant impact on our school.” says Dr. Tricia DeGraff, principal. “Teachers and children are putting into practice the mindfulness lessons she is teaching.”

Sarver is trained to deliver the Mindful Schools curriculum and was recently accepted into the Mindful Schools Certification Program. She is also a certified leader of InterPlay—a pedagogy for cultivating mindfulness through creativity, performance storytelling and play. Sarver is a regional leader and master trainer in Trauma Informed Care, Trauma Sensitive Schools and Building Resilience Culture. In Kansas City, Missouri, she provides training to the Violence Free KC Committee of the Public Health Department and the Mayor’s Citizen’s Task Force on Violence Prevention.

“We can see growth in all children and adults when we stop and get present with them and teach the how of getting present with oneself,” says Sarver. “We have a lot of great science to leverage now. The answer to violence, in my opinion, is a mindfulness public health campaign and we need all hands on deck.”