Comprehensive Assessment and Recovery Effort (CARE) Seminar Helps Vermont Teachers

By Roger L. Crouse, Grand Junior Warden

Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Vermont

Forty-six teachers and administrators from eleven grade 6-12 schools around Vermont attended a seminar to formulate action plans for an effective intervention and referral system to assist students at risk.  At the latest Comprehensive Assessment and Recovery Effort (CARE) seminar, held at the DoubleTree Hotel in South Burlington March 18-20, the attendees participated in a lively, interactive training session, where they learned several techniques for identifying and working with children at risk for alcohol, drug, sexual and other forms of abuse.  The high quality training included lectures as well as hands-on practice of techniques and methods.

The purpose of the CARE program is to train Vermont educators at the elementary and secondary level to identify adolescents whose academics, behavior, health, or attendance indicates that they may have problems related to some form of abuse (e.g. substance, parental, physical, sexual, bullying).  It also trains the attendees on how to deal with parents or guardians of these students.

The teams, consisting of an administrator, teacher, nurse and guidance counselor, learned how to implement caring and appropriate interventions with these students.  Role-playing sessions also helped them determine the best way to meet with parents or guardians to identify ways to improve the well being of the students.  All of this training, the hotel accommodations, meals and national certified instructors were provided by the Grand Lodge of Masons for the state of Vermont at no cost to attendees.

Bros. Philip Morton, GSW, and Roger Crouse, GJW, coordinated this state-wide training session, working with both the Vermont masons and the Vermont Department of Education to ensure the session exceeded the expectation of all attendees.
This latest session represented the nineteenth consecutive year the program has been held, the second longest running program of this type in the United States.  Over 220 schools in Vermont have attended at least one of these sessions since the first was conducted in 1990.  All attendees receive Vermont Department of Education certificates of completion and continuing education credits toward their teacher re-certification.

Bro. Cal Keyler, M.W.G.M., received a standing ovation after his closing remarks, and several attendees personally expressed their thanks for a great session.  Clearly, it was another example of why we are proud to be masons.

Visit the photoalbum for pictures of the event.

 

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