Bishop Garriga integrates 'Friendzy' in theology classes

These are unprecedented times. Even in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, teachers are faced with more challenges than ever before. Along with teaching students through a mixture of hybrid and blended learning, they are tasked with elevating student’s emotional intelligence. But this, According to Superintendent Dr. Rosemary Henry, is what Catholic school teachers are called to do, “form the whole child – not just spiritually, intellectually, morally, socially and physically, but also focus on their social and emotional needs, their psychological needs. We are called to help them feel well equipped to negotiate chaos and uncertainty,” Dr. Henry said.

Thanks to a grant written by Dr. Henry, diocesan schools will receive a full year of the Biblically-based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum called, Friendzy. 

All of the materials stem from scripture Readings. This program is designed for pre-K through eighth grade. “It is definitely fresh and colorful and attractive for students,” said April Esparza RN, BSN, Diocesan Health Services Coordinator for the Diocese of Corpus Christi. “And also, we are planning for teachers to learn additional professional development concerning leadership, building and working together as a community as they harness their own social-emotional skills as a team that works together to educate our youth.”

Friendzy is based on five core competencies of social, emotional well-being, which are evidence-based. Through an organization known as the Collaborative for Social Emotional Learning (CASEL). Friendzy utilizes CASEL’s five core competencies of social-emotional learning. They are

1. Self-Awareness: The ability to recognize personal emotions, values, strengths, and limitations
2. Self-Management: The ability to manage behaviors to achieve personal goals
3. Responsible Decision Making: The ability to make constructive choices about personal and social behavior
4. Social-Awareness: The ability to show understanding and empathy for others
5. Relationships Skills: The ability to form positive relationships, work in teams and deal effectively with conflict

Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School (BGMPS) theology teachers Divina LaGrange and Taylor Campos are the first to integrate Friendzy in their classrooms. They started early in October with the seventh and eighth-grade students.  

The curriculum guide have activities that coincide with the topic of discussion. Seventh graders are told to write #1 on the back of a paper plate, then decorate it. “Today, we’re not only talking about how to build ourselves up, but also, how we can build each other up,” LaGrange said. “It’s just a way to communicate, so it gives them opportunities to communicate differently, and then to think about how they are behaving or how they perceive each other.”

Campos had one student guide another who was blindfolded to build trust and team leadership. It appears to be working as eighth-grader Arturo Najera in Campos’ class, says the new curriculum Friendzy reminds him to be positive.

The Office of Catholic Schools hopes every Catholic School in the diocese will receive the Friendzy materials by December and begin integrating it into their religious studies. All students on each campus will focus on the same unit for one month.