At Fort Cherry Elementary School, mental fitness is an integral part of students’ day, thanks to the TEAMology curriculum. Amy Oberly, the school counselor, leads the initiative, ensuring that all students from kindergarten through sixth grade engage with lessons that teach valuable life skills. Delivered during the unified arts rotation, these character-buildingacter building lessons allow students to explore the traits embodied by TEAMology’s characters, helping them understand themselves and their interactions with others.
Making an Impact on Students
Since implementing TEAMology in 2019, Fort Cherry has seen positive changes in student behavior and interactions. “Using the traits each character teaches allows students to pause and connect what they’ve learned to the choices they’re making,” Amy shared. While some behaviors have naturally evolved more than others, there has been a noticeable overall improvement.
Amy recalled a moment that illustrates the curriculum’s impact: “A few years ago I pulled out one of the Paco worksheets that showed ways we could make a positive change. I knew the particular kid I was working with would connect well to a CBT style so I used that worksheet and we were able to process his choices / behavior and consequences with maybe less emotion… as if he was just doing an assignment… afterwards he had that moment where it all clicked.”
Influencing Schoolwide Culture
The TEAMology characters have also become a touchstone for students throughout the day. When Amy assists the principal with discipline matters, she draws on the lessons from characters like Paco, Lamar, and Philo to help students understand the impact of their choices and to develop problem-solving skills. Students also naturally reference the characters in everyday interactions, offering to help like Harper or showing acceptance like Amelia when a new or different student joins the classroom.
Looking Ahead
Amy hopes to continue building on these foundations next year. “My goal is to keep making human connections - either with myself or through the characters in this curriculum. Creating emotional intelligence is huge for kids. We might not need to know the capital of Mississippi later in life, but we will always need to know how to help others, problem solve, and be resilient.”
Fort Cherry Elementary’s dedication to mental fitness through TEAMology is helping students develop the social and emotional skills they will carry throughout their lives.