Nov. 17--Life was at a standstill at Highland High when Ryan Vigil died in 2007. Soon after the baseball standout was killed in a shooting, students learned of the tragedy on text messages.

And when students, teachers and parents spontaneously showed up at the office of the Highland baseball coach that night, counselors from around Albuquerque showed up to help.

Whether it's a shooting, a car accident or some other tragedy, students often need help coping -- often enough that APS has at the ready a crisis team of psychologists, counselors and social workers that is able to quickly respond.

"Being able to have the crisis team there helped," principal Nikki Dennis said of the Vigil death. "The kids were upset. Parents were upset."

This year, a Manzano High student died "car surfing," days after a longtime teacher had died of cancer.

Enter the crisis team.

"Often we're dealing with a situation fairly quickly," APS psychologist Joe Flippo said. "It's a situation where you can argue the grieving process might start right away. A lot of kids and staff and parents really are kind of numb."

The counseling is simply "triage" in that it tries to find students and staff who may be struggling and puts them in touch with more long-term help. Flippo calls it "psychological first aid."

And the team isn't deployed just for death.

Crises also could include a school bus accident, a bomb threat or a situation like the recent arrest of a Jimmy Carter Middle School teacher on charges of having sex with one of her students.

It's critical, APS counseling manager Laura Owen said, to get information to the students, who generally have a network of cell phones, e-mails and text messages.

"When you're talking about a critical incident that affects large numbers of students and staff, a very organized response minimizes the trauma associated with it really quickly," she said.

The team typically has 30 to 50 members, all of whom have taken a 16-hour course on critical incident stress management. Between five and 40 team members respond, depending on the need.

While most schools have at least one counselor and a nurse and access to a social worker and a psychologist, there are occasions when a crisis calls for more.

If a student has died in a car accident, for example, a team member will follow that person's class schedule the next day to talk to students. All the while, Flippo said, they are looking for people who may need more support outside of school.

"It's important to acknowledge that you know they are going to be impacted," Flippo said. "How close they are to the person who died is usually indicated by the strength of their response."

For about 95 percent of the students, their needs will be addressed in that initial meeting. Others may need followup within the first week.

La Cueva High counselor Victoria Reed was hired by Deming High School in 1999, two months after a student shot and killed another student at the school.

In response, some people overate. Some didn't eat enough. Normally boisterous teachers became quiet. Students would avoid the hallway where the shooting occurred, or else intentionally walk around tiles where there had once been blood. During a girls' basketball game at another school, an opposing fan began popping balloons, and the Deming team became very scared, she said.

At the same time, the incident drew students closer. "They looked out for one another and asked each other how they were doing," she said. "We could see students wrapped around each other."

Reed is now part of a state crisis team, which works with emergency responders all over New Mexico in instances that include forest fires or other crises.

In crisis intervention with schools, the point is to try to mitigate the negative impact.

"It's not really a waitingto-see when things get back to normal," Reed said. "It's a growing experience, a part of their lives. They're never going to be the same. ... It doesn't mean they can't be happy, productive people. They're going to have to find a way to cope."

Academics, for some, may need to take a back seat and crucial exams or projects delayed. Younger kids, Flippo said, might use art as a therapy.

Cibola High principal Elena Salazar recalls a time eight years ago when a teacher and two students died within a two-week period. "We were all pretty distraught, from staff members all the way to the student body," she said.

Salazar followed counselors into classes so she could look for students reacting to the tragedies.

"There are quite a few students who need assistance, but the learning does continue," she said. Helping children through grief

Return to the normal household schedule as quickly as possible. Children feel more secure with their regular routine.

Let the children know they are protected and safe. When they feel secure, they will be able to live through their grief.

Try to understand the children's behavior. If they do not have the words, they will express their grief through their behavior.

Involve the child in a ceremony as a way to say goodbye to a friend or loved one.

Talk about bad dreams, or have the child draw a picture of the dream. Have him or her rip up the picture and throw it away.

Do not be alarmed if children play at dying or death. It's a way for them to work through fears.

Plan something for the child to look forward to, such as a vacation or other enjoyable experience.

When you are not available, make sure the child knows that someone trustworthy is present.

Source: "Bereavement and Support" by MaryLou Hughes, included as a handout for parents in the APS 2008-2009 Crisis Resource booklet.

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