Announcements
Beyond the Sidelines: When Staff Gets in the Game
July 7, 2026
Recreation isn’t all fun and games! It’s also about connection, self-exploration, and skill building. When Residential Services staff participate alongside the youth in their care, the benefits are amplified.
Green Chimneys Recreation offers countless opportunities for students to engage in diverse physical activities, creative arts, and social programming. Students are exposed to traditional sports, wellness activities, open mic nights, swimming, high ropes and outdoor adventure, team-building, and special events. They are encouraged to participate in activities they already enjoy, while also stepping outside their comfort zones to try something new.
Residential Supervisor Jayson Matthews sees the Recreation program as a way to help new students acclimate more easily to staff and peers because activities take place in a safe, structured social setting. “Relationship-building happens through shared experiences: a basketball game, an art project, or cheering each other on during a contest or challenge,” he says.
Modeling Positive Behaviors
One student who was reluctant to join gym activities responded to Jayson’s offer to play on his team. Over time, that student gained confidence and became able to participate independently. Jayson didn’t just encourage participation, he modeled it, which provided the emotional support the student needed. “Trying something new isn’t always easy,” says Jayson, “but trying something new with someone you trust makes it easier.”
Assistant Residential Supervisor Madeline Ragusa notices that working alongside residents on art projects builds trust in a different but equally meaningful way. Collaborating on a shared goal, navigating challenges together, and celebrating a finished product strengthens connection. That trust often carries over into more difficult conversations and situations outside of recreation. Madeline says, “I feel residents see me as a well-rounded person. I’m no longer just staff, I’m a teammate, a fellow artist, a collaborator.”
Residential staff member Isael Tejada feels these activities not only strengthen relationships with residents from his own dorm, they build connections with residents across campus. Connections like this create a stronger, more unified community.
In recreation spaces, Green Chimneys staff demonstrate how to lose gracefully, manage frustration, encourage peers, and stay engaged. Students observe real-time emotional regulation that’s modeled, not just instructed. As a part of these games, they see staff in a new light and as part of their community. These new perspectives create strong mutual connections.
