Be The Champion
Be The Champion
Marie Papini and Ailish Dougherty
A show for educators, leaders, students, and caregivers to learn about the effects of trauma on school-aged children's adjustment and well-being, and figure out strategies to help students feel safe and confident in school.
Episode 10: Farewell (For Now)
For the final episode of the season, Marie and Ailish join from their respective homes to describe their next steps in their careers, the future of TLC at KIPP, and lessons learned from the process of creating this podcast. Listen closely - you might get a hint about what's to come in Season 2!
Jul 2, 2021
21 min
Episode 9: TLC in Action!
Listen the first installment of the TLC-sponsored book study (recorded in February 2021). In this special episode, members of the KIPP Collegiate community discuss Dr. Bessel van der Kolk's book "The Body Keeps the Score" and how his lessons could apply to our school's practices. Each staff member contributes valuable insights from their own unique perspective; you won't want to miss this lively collaboration! 
Jun 4, 2021
39 min
Episode 8: Change is Contagious
Brittany Middlebrooks and Katie Fey have heard the call to action and are kickstarting their own Trauma-Informed Leadership Committee at KIPP Academy Nashville, our flagship middle school. Hear from them about the process of building their new organization, the importance of long-term buy-in to create systems change, and what puberty does to middle schoolers.
May 21, 2021
40 min
Episode 7: You Are Your Own Limitations
Join us for a conversation with De'Montay, a senior at KIPP whose self-awareness and intrinsic motivation shine, despite having experienced his fair share of pandemic-related trauma. We discuss online learning, the struggle of disrupted routines, and the thrill of seeing how tall your teachers actually are after a year of Zoom. Near the end of the episode, listen for an overview of the Trauma-Informed Leadership Committee's accomplishments over the past year, as well as what's next for our organization and our school.
May 7, 2021
36 min
Episode 6: What Am I In, the 'Fake' World?
As white educators, we know that we cannot speak about trauma without addressing how race and trauma intersect. Members of the Trauma-Informed Leadership Committee Ailish Dougherty, Marie Papini, Assistant Principal of Culture Kristen Sueing, and Assistant Principal of Student Support Laura Bantle sit down for a "behind-the-scenes" conversation addressing blind spots in our previous episode, as well as in the broader discussion around 'trauma-informed education.' We hope that this episode will allow other educators to use their platforms to highlight this kind of accountability, to seek a more just world alongside our students.
Apr 9, 2021
35 min
Episode 5: Behavior is Communication
You may be wondering how to make sure students are still held accountable behaviorally and academically while implementing trauma-informed practices. Our Assistant Principals of Culture and Student Support are here to answer some of those questions and describe the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in service of student success!
Mar 26, 2021
41 min
Episode 4: Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk
What do an Assistant Principal of STEM, a 10th grade Literature teacher, a College Counselor, and a first-year Spanish teacher have in common? Join us for a conversation with four educators from KIPP Collegiate High School, diverse in experience and perspective, as they share how trauma-informed practices have shaped their view of the education system and their place within it. Walk away from this episode with concrete strategies you can use in your classroom, tomorrow.
Mar 5, 2021
36 min
Episode 3: Vanessa's Story
In this episode, Vanessa shares with us her experience coming to terms with a traumatic event that occurred during her freshman year. Her vulnerability, courage and resilience is something you don't want to miss. Crisis Hotline: text "HOME" to 741741
Feb 26, 2021
35 min
Episode 2: Second Home
In this episode, join us for a (socially-distanced) conversation with three of our KIPP Nashville Collegiate high schoolers - Vanessa, Cyriah, and Kevin - in which we discuss the ways trauma surfaces for our students, the support they've received from teachers and mentors, and how they feel coming to a trauma-informed school each day. Also, it wouldn't be a discussion with teenagers if we didn't touch on cafeteria lasagna and Tik Tok dances.
Feb 12, 2021
37 min
Episode 1: Who Are We, and What is Trauma?
Welcome to "Be The Champion!" We are Marie (school counselor and self-care expert) and Ailish (writing teacher and passionate advocate), and we want to give a new perspective on the successes and challenges of creating trauma-informed infrastructure within a high school. Join us!
Jan 29, 2021
35 min