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District partners with Winthrop and NAMI to launch Parent Academy

Rock Hill Schools, in partnership with Winthrop Unversity and the South Carolina chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is excited to announce the first Parent Academy focusing on mental health issues. The free sessions will be held throughout the school year, and the first session is Wednesday, October 21 at 6 p.m. All sessions are open to the Rock Hill community. Tune in to the Rock Hill Schools YouTube channel for the live stream or visit later and watch on-demand from your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or the YouTube app on any Internet-enabled Smart TV. All presentations will air live from 6 – 7 p.m. on the advertised date.

Navigating the Pandemic: Acknowledging the New Normal, with a Side of Grief
Wednesday, October 21 at 6 p.m. 

Our opening Parent Academy session will be led by Winthrop University social work instructor Ms. Sarah Hopkins.

About the presenter: Ms. Hopkins earned her B.S. in Human Development from Binghamton University and her Master's Degree in Social Work from Binghamton University in 2006. Prior to coming to Winthrop, Ms. Hopkins taught at Binghamton University in the College of Community and Public Affairs. She has a decade worth of direct practice experience working as a licensed medical social worker in hospice and home care, with the latter half being exclusively in bereavement counseling. Ms. Hopkins is passionate about working with grief and loss and feels that it is something that society overlooks and believes in being a resource to community agencies and organizations as support for loss and change.

 

In social work education, Ms. Hopkins believes in developing the whole student. Due to this belief, she incorporates self-care practices into the classroom, making sure students develop and engage in self- care practice prior to becoming practitioners. Through this incorporation, Ms. Hopkins hopes to help develop social workers who are less apt to experience professional burnout.  

 

Mark your calendar for future sessions

Wednesday, November 18

  • Topic: Restorative  Practice:  A guide for parents
  • Presenter: Dr. Jessica Yang, Associate Professor of Social Work, Winthrop University

Tuesday, December 1

Thursday, December 3

  • Topic: Navigating the Pandemic:  Looking at the Experiences of Diverse Groups
  • Presenter: Dr. Monique Constance-Huggins, Associate Professor of Social Work, Winthrop University

Thursday, December 8

  • Topic: Panel Discussion – Navigating the Pandemic: Expert Discussion  
  • Participants:  Dr. Nancy Turner, Director of Exceptional Student Education, Rock Hill Schools; Dr. Jessica Yang, Winthrop University; Dr. Constance-Huggins, Winthrop University; Ms. Sarah Hopkins, Winthrop University; and others to be confirmed. The discussion will be facilitated by Mr. Mychal Frost, Director of Marketing and Communications, Rock Hill Schools.