Sandra Class, Army Substance Abuse Program Manager, right, gives students advice on how to build a tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows during the Sept. 21 "Stay Fueled" resiliency event at White Sands School.

WSMR holds resiliency event at White Sands School

White Sands Missile Range in partnership with White Sands Middle School held a “Stay Fueled” interactive resiliency event Sept. 21 at the Sgt. Pedro Field.

Service members teamed up with White Sands Middle School students to go through five stations based on the five resiliency pillars: Physical, Social, Emotional, Spiritual and Family.

Several members of the WSMR community to include the Optics/Radar team, Outdoor Recreation/Arts and Crafts team, RSO Environmental, MET/GPS and DES Police/Fire, volunteered to assist at the stations making it a fun filled learning event for the students.

The event, which was organized by Sandra Class, Army Substance Abuse Program Manager, offered Service members and students the chance to participate in five activities that simulated receiving emotional support from their peers to include building a tower out of spaghetti with marshmallows, hula hooping their way through a circle with a group of friends, maneuvering their way through a maze of emotions, dropping balls into a bucket as a team, and jumping through hoops.

Class said that teams explored how resiliency connects to preventive efforts in reducing suicidal acts, self-harm or high -risk behaviors.

In the social wellness event students learned about maintaining harmonious relationships with friends and loved ones and interacting positively with their social environment and cultivating connections to help them feel supported.

In the family event students learned how to set a good example through healthy behavior and creating a stable environment.

In the spiritual wellness event students learned to connect to something greater than themselves and the importance of having a set of values, principles, morals, and beliefs that provide a sense of purpose and meaning to life.

In the physical wellness event students learned that they could achieve it through proper nutrition, physical activity, and flexibility.

In the emotional wellness event students learned that emotional wellness is self-awareness and acceptance of your emotional reactions.

At the end of the event students enjoyed lunch and got a chance to visit WSMR Test Center static displays.

By Miriam Rodriguez

WSMR Public Affairs