Grant provides crisis prevention, de-escalation training to Trine students
January 09, 2024
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Trine University teacher education students, front, from left, Abigail Shay and Kalsey
Ternet role-play a de-escalation situation during Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI)
training last semester, as classmates Giselle Riley, Cole Decker, Nathan Widman, Sydney
Reffeitt and Carrianne Thomas look on. CPI training, now offered to all Trine teacher
education students prior to student teaching, is designed to help identify, prevent
and de-escalate crises.
Students in Trine University’s Franks School of Education (FSOE) will receive training
in nonviolent crisis prevention and verbal de-escalation thanks to a grant from the
Steuben County Community Foundation.
The grant allowed Chelsea Superczynski, assistant professor in FSOE, to receive training
and certification through the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI). CPI training programs
are designed to help identify, prevent and de-escalate crises.
The certification allows Superczynski to train Trine’s teacher candidates. FSOE students
who will complete their degrees at the end of the spring 2024 semester received the
training prior to student teaching, as will all FSOE teacher candidates going forward.
Many FSOE teacher candidates complete their student teaching in Steuben County, and
a number of them choose to teach in the county following graduation.
Superczynski said CPI training is popular in K-12 education and is helpful when working
with students of all backgrounds and abilities.
“When I worked in K-12 education, I saw the importance of recognizing when students
are escalating and knowing what to do and say to calm them,” she said. “I wanted to
bring this training to our students at Trine so that they could start their teaching
career with these skills.”
“During the process of writing the grant, I spoke to many teachers and administrators
in K-12. All agreed that this training would be a major benefit for our students.
Many administrators said they wished all teachers had this training. When teachers
can identify students who are escalating and potentially prevent a crisis, everyone
wins.”
Larry Garatoni, Board President of Career Academy Network of Public Schools, an Education One Charter School Network, has been appointed to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, as announced by Governor Eric J. Holcomb in June.
The Trine University Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) is hosting their second annual car show on Saturday, Sept. 14, from noon to 5 p.m. This event will take place in the Best Hall parking lot across from the T. Furth Center for Performing Arts.