The Sumner School District recently nominated the Tacoma-Pierce County Chaplaincy for the 2012 Washington Association of School Administrators Region 111 Community Leadership Award. Representatives of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chaplaincy received the WASA’s Community Leadership Award on April 20, at the Region 111 meeting.

“The Tacoma-Pierce County Chaplaincy and its members provide support and intervention during crisis situations with an unmatched commitment,” district Superintendent Craig Spencer said.  Chaplains are there when it counts, and chaplains are there for the long term.”

The Tacoma-Pierce County Chaplaincy provides on-the-scene support for victims, emergency teams and families during traumatic events and crisis situations, supporting law enforcement and public safety agencies in Pierce County.  Local chaplains formed a volunteer group in 1971 to support victims, public service personnel and their families, and later incorporated as a non-profit organization.  As such, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chaplaincy is funded entirely through donations.

Their efforts extend beyond providing notification to families about fatalities or other critical incidents.  Chaplains serve as a liaison to the school district and schools.  In addition to providing the district with timely information, members of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chaplaincy are highly trained in crisis and grief counseling. It’s specific area of expertise most school district’s don’t have represented on staff.  During crisis situations, chaplains respond to traumatic injury and death alongside district counselors.

In recent years the chaplaincy’s impact on staff, students and families has been immeasurable, according to a school district press release.   Chaplains are vital in helping teachers balance their own grief while helping students understand a sudden loss. Some teachers cited the support provided by the chaplains as making them feel less alone and more confident about talking to students about death.  Chaplains are there every step of the way, debriefing and reflecting on district plans.

Last year, an elementary teacher became a victim of domestic violence. The murder-suicide had extensive media coverage and left two young children without a mother or father.  Staff and families reeled from the overwhelming details of the death and the loss of a colleague, teacher and friend.  The district’s crisis team gathered over the weekend to prepare for the next day back to school with a contingency of volunteer chaplains.  Plans in place, they arrived early to join in meeting and consoling families and kids.  They made announcements in classrooms, assisted parents with resources for talking to their children and gave teachers respite in quiet rooms. Their support continued throughout the week and beyond with occasional visits to staff.