Chill Mobile returns to Chartiers Valley

Picture yourself in a placid forest, surrounded by the sounds of songbirds, a breeze and babbling brook.

Students at Chartiers Valley High School had the opportunity to relax amid a grove of trees without having to board a bus for a field trip or, in fact, exit the school’s parking lot.

That’s where the Chill Mobile, Allegheny Health Network’s customized recreational vehicle, was parked on the morning of April 14 to provide as close to a Great Outdoors experience as possible.

“The leaves will fall when you move, and it happens on both sides,” AHN behavioral health school educator Emily Bodo told members of Chartiers Valley’s dance troupe while they settled into the vehicle.

Sure enough, images projected against the interior walls responded accordingly, eliciting expressions of delight among the students as they tried it for themselves.

A forest scenario is one of four presented inside the Chill Mobile, according to Bodo’s colleague Celina Cantini.

“The last time they were in here, it was outer space,” she said, and simulations also take students on virtual journeys underwater and to Pittsburgh’s PNC Park.

Chill Project component

Unveiled at Chartiers Valley in the fall, the vehicle is a component of the AHN’s Chill Project, which uses mindfulness-based exercises to help students — teachers and parents, too — identify and react positively to stress.

Chill Mobile sessions include a “body scan,” during which a soothing female voice with a British accent guides visitors on an awareness exercise involving everything from head to toe.

“It’s a way to practice mindfulness that will take you through your body, bring awareness to different muscle groups and help you relax,” Bodo said. “Whatever makes you feel comfortable, use this time to focus on yourself and get in touch with your brain, get in touch with your body.”

Cantini can attest to its effectiveness.

“The first time I did it, I had no idea how much tension I had in my shoulders. It really felt like weight lifted off my shoulders, and I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “We share how it happens to us, to let the kids know it is OK to talk about tightness in your shoulders, in your fingers, in your jaw, and not really to hold it in but discuss it with everybody.”

During the current school year, students in Chartiers Valley sports and performance teams have been invited to the Chill Mobile.

“This is a good exercise to do for athletes,” Bodo said. “It brings awareness to those muscle groups and makes you realize where you’re holding onto some of those aches and pains that you get used to from practicing daily, performing daily, whatever it might be.”

‘Super grateful for this program’

Dance troupe sophomore Avalon Armfield has enjoyed visiting.

“It helps us learn how to be relaxed before our performances, and it’s fun seeing all the different backgrounds and learning about mindfulness,” she said, referencing the therapeutic technique of awareness in the present moment. “It helped us in the winter before our nationals, and it’s also going to help us for our showcase.”

The troupe captured third place in Small Varsity Hip Hop and eighth place in Small Varsity Jazz at the Universal Dance Association National Dance Team Championship in February, and the CVTheatre Showcase, featuring performances by students in the seven dance classes available at the high school, is scheduled for May 4-6.

“I always get stressed about my assignments and dance, and learning these techniques has helped me focus on what’s going on,” freshman Charlize Svihla said. “The last time, we learned breathing techniques. And when I use that at competitions, I think it helps calm me down.”

Senior Sophia Vitale also has been impressed with the Chill Project.

“We’re super grateful for this program,” she said. “We use all the techniques they’re giving us, and I’m excited to use the five senses technique.”

Prior to venturing outside to the RV, the dance troupe members had an introductory session in which Cantini discussed employing sight, sound, touch, taste, smell for self-soothing, “a skill that can help you decrease the intensity of an emotions during a distressing situation by focusing on your body’s senses rather than the situation.”

‘It helped us win’

Other Chartiers Valley athletes offered their Chill Project perspectives, including senior Tony Vanzin, center for the Colts football team.

“Obviously, school for a lot of students nowadays is stressful, and doing this mellowed us out, calmed us down and really got us into our heads, especially before practice and games. We really have to start focusing and get out the distractions that school keeps us in,” he said.

Drew Sleva, a senior basketball point guard, also cited positive effects.

“We were under a lot of stress because we had a tough season last year. Being able to do these exercises, it really helped us just calm down and remember, it’s not as serious as we take it, and it’s fun.

“And it helped us win,” he said. “We started off 12-0. So it was really beneficial.”

For more information about the Chill Project, visit www.ahn.org/services/psychiatry-mental-health/mindfulness/chill-project.