RESOURCES
We are keenly aware that there are a vast amount of educational and therapeutic resources available today. This section of the web site is designed to provide the maximum amount of options without overwhelming our clients. Although we have trust and faith in the resources provided, we must put a disclaimer that we are not responsible for the services sought outside of Cheyenne Mountain High School. So, please take the resources as they are intended -- to help.
Community Resources
Attached you will find a comprehensive list of resources and phone numbers for the various support agencies located in Colorado Springs.
Community Resources (provided by The Partnership for Community Development)
Mental Health
In a publication from Susan Wile Schwarz, June 2009, approximately 20% of adolescents have a diagnosable mental health disorder. To extrapolate that statistic and apply it to Cheyenne Mountain High School, would mean that well over two hundred students in our school will experience some form of a mental health condition while attending CMHS.
Adolescence is a critical period for mental, social, and emotional well being and development. During adolescence, the brain undergoes significant developmental changes, establishing neural pathways and behavior patterns that will last into adulthood.
Because their brains are still developing, adolescents are particularly receptive to the positive influences of youth development strategies, social and emotional learning, and behavioral modeling. But adolescents’ developing brains, coupled with hormonal changes, make them more prone to depression and more likely to engage in risky and thrill-seeking behaviors than either younger children or adults. These and other factors underline the importance of meeting the mental, social, and emotional health needs of this age group.
Mental health and social and emotional well being – combined with sexual and reproductive health, violence and unintentional injury, substance use, and nutrition and obesity – form part of a complex web of potential challenges to adolescents’ healthy emotional and physical development--a challenge that we must be up for!
Below, you will find a few web sites, and supports for dealing with mental health issues. This is by no means a comprehensive list for dealing with this very important topic. However, it should help you get started down a path toward obtaining strong mental health.
National Alliance Mental Illness (NAMI): National Alliance for Mental Illness
National Institute Health (NIH): http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealth.html
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) http://www.aacap.org
Anxiety Disorder Association of America (ADAA) http://www.adaa.org
Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) http://www.dbsalliance.org
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) http://www.nimh.nih.gov
National Mental Health Asso. (NMHA) http://mentalhealthamerica.net
Study Skills
Our experience tells us that most of the students at Cheyenne Mountain are having a great deal of success. In fact, the typical mean grade point average (GPA) for most Classes hovers around 3.1. The Class of 2011, had only seven students that had less than a 2.0 GPA. With that said, we believe that with some effort, ALL students should experience academic success, but for some, it may require a variety of interventions. Below, you will find a few academic resources that have helped other students and families find success at Cheyenne Mountain High School. Our staff is available to help assist you with this process, and the information obtained below are a few tools that we frequently utilize when working with struggling students.
Cornell Notes: http://coe.jmu.edu/LearningToolbox/cornellnotes.html
Family: FamilyMeetingIdeas.pdf
Tutoring:Steps to Take Before Hiring a Tutor 2.pdf
Progress checks:Weekly Progress Reports.doc
Assignment Logs:Assignment Log.doc
Organization:
Test (SAT/ACT) Prep
Cheyenne Mountain High School has been a leader in the State of Colorado when taking the ACT and SAT for many years. We believe that our success (ACT: National avg. 21.1/ Colorado avg. 20.7, CMHS ACT avg. 24.7) in testing comes from the quality of our students and the level of instruction present at CMHS. Research will tell you that by challenging yourself to take higher level course work, one will improve their score on the SAT and ACT. Both (SAT & ACT) are independent testing companies and they have excellent resources to help improve test taking abilities. The web sites for those companies are listed below. We do realize that some students generally struggle with testing, and it may beneficial to take a test prep course from a professional company. Below, you will find a list, from our student population, of some of the resources that we have received positive feedback on.
ACT: http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/
SAT:http://sitesearch.collegeboard.org/?searchType=satsite&tp=sat&q=Test+Prep
Smart Prep: http://www.smartprepcolorado.com/
Sylvan Learning Center: http://cosprings.sylvan-learning.info/slc/172/index_b.aspx
Kaplan: http://www.kaptest.com/
Princeton Review: http://www.princetonreview.com/?semkey=K000001&gclid=COezquWp-K4CFQIBQAodOVYEwQ
CollegeInColorado: http://secure.collegeincolorado.org/College_Planning/Test_Prep/Test_Prep.aspx
Substance Abuse
Illicit Drugs
According to the national Institute of Health (NIH) illicit drug use among teens continues at a high rate. NIH attributes this statistic due to the popularity of marijuana and the perceived lack of danger associated with this use. In 2012, 6.5% of 8th graders, 17% of 10th graders, and 22.9% of 12th graders reported using marijuana in the past month--an increase among 10th and 12th graders of 14.2%. NIH does report a decrease in the use of inhalants ( an all time low).
Alcohol
Alcohol use among teens has dropped to historically low levels. In 2012, NIH reported that 3.6% of 8th graders, 14.5% of 10th graders, and 28.1% reported getting drunk in the past month.
Tobacco
Cigarette use among teens has dropped to historically low levels. Cigarette smoking in high-school students peaked in 1996-1997 and has declined continually since. In contrast, marijuana use has been rising in recent years.
These are both good and alarming statistics. As we educate our Cheyenne Mountain community and students, we believe that it is prudent to address the trends of the day and provide support up to date information and support. The links below should aide you in process as well.
- The Partnership at DrugFree.org
Child & Adolescent Development
Teenage Brains http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/teenage-brains/dobbs-text
Inside the Teenage Brain http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/
Mindful Life http://www.mindfullifetoday.com/category_s/43.htm
Myth of Teenage Brain -THE_MYTH_OF_THE_TEEN_BRAIN-
Books for Parents
Raising teenager's can sometimes be challenging, humbling and often an amazing experience. Below, we have included a resource of helpful reads that may make your job a little easier. We hope that you might find of few of these books useful. Additionally, the counseling office has books on parenting in our office. Feel free to stop in and check out a book or two.
40 Developmental Assets
The Search Institute has identified the following (linked above) building blocks of healthy development—known as Developmental Assets—that help young children grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.
This particular list is intended for adolescents (age 12-18). If you'd like to see the lists for other age groups, you can find them on the Developmental Assets Lists lists page.
Military Support
In the attached link above, you will find a vast amount of thoughts and resources to aide you from the Military Child Education Coalition. This resource might be helpful to military families, but also it is a great resource for teachers, friends, family or classmates as they consider how to help a family who is living through military life.
