Meet Coach Carissa

  1. Updates

Coach Carissa is the amazing Playworks Program Coordinator (PC) at Washington Elementary School in Roselle, NJ. This is her first-year as an AmeriCorps PC and she has done an astounding job so far. In her first few months at Washington Elementary, Carissa has really worked hard to get the program up and running at her school. Within the first month of school all her students knew her schoolyard rules and cheers. Carissa is also very active in the school community and she provides assistance whenever necessary.
 
Carissa came up with a creative and fun way to honor the Washington Elementary Junior Coaches (a cadre of 3-5th grade leaders who support the Coach at recess). She held a Junior Coach Inauguration Ceremony; she spoke about each student and why they were chosen to be a Junior Coach.  She then presented them with the coveted purple Junior Coach shirt.
 
Coach Carissa you are supportive, encouraging, and you continue to instill our Core Values of Respect, Inclusion, Healthy Community, and Healthy Play. Thank you for all that you do!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

More Updates


January 10, 2023

Understanding the Complex Simplicities of Play ›

Play is a behavior that is natural and has existed for thousands of years and across species. It combines a set of made-up rules or norms and a willingness to explore. Researchers, scientists, and doctors have studied the effects of play on kids–and adults–and understand that this natural behavior has tremendous benefits. As the American…

December 21, 2022

Building Skill Through Play: Managing Disappointment and Teaching Positive Body Language ›

It’s the holiday season! Schools and Playworks are counting down the days until winter break, but first we’re focusing on managing disappointment and teaching positive body language.  We all know that it can be incredibly easy to get swept up in the negative emotions a disappointment brings because our expectations were not met. For kids,…

three people with Playworks shirts
three people with Playworks shirts

July 28, 2022

A year of social and emotional learning ›

“You can’t do SEL, trauma, or equity work without each other,” Jennette Claassen, Head of Evaluation, Playworks. As Playworks continued to progress on our equity journey, we explored a critical question: what are the intersections between play, social and emotional learning, physical activity, and trauma? A working group focused on this question decided, among other…