From the CoFounders

As we begin the 2025/26 school year, we pause to honor what we built together last year. The first pilot of the LYNC Model of Care™ with AASD was nothing short of incredible. We saw students step forward with courage, staff lean into new practices, and communities begin to feel the ripple of change.

This year, we return stronger, expanding into more schools, deepening our partnership with AASD, and continuing to build a culture where every student and educator feels seen, safe, and supported.

We carry immense gratitude for the many people who believed in this work and made the pilot possible. As one collaborator shared:

“I’m super excited to be partnering with you and so glad the district entered this collaboration with you! Many people have been supportive of me along the way and believed in me… I appreciate every one of them.” — Amy Steiner

The LYNC Model of Care™ is more than a framework; it is a daily practice of safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment. It only works if we work it, together.

As you move through these modules, we invite you to pause and reflect:

• Who believed in you when you were a student?
• Who made it safe for you to show up and learn?
• Who gave you a reason to keep going?
• Say their names. Tell the story. If you can, tell them directly.

For Meredith, it was Ms. Jensen, Mrs. O’Cull, Ms. Smirling, Ms. Bayer, Mr. Bradley, and Mr. Berkoben of the Wild Rose School District. Their unconditional positive regard shaped her life, and the ripple continues.

For Casey, it has been the students themselves, their persistence in the face of trauma and their capacity for growth that have continually reaffirmed his belief in this model. The resilience of young people in non-traditional settings has shown him what’s possible when schools, families, and communities align around care.

Our hope is that this training not only gives you tools for your classroom but also deepens your connection to your purpose and profession. The change we seek begins with each of us, and together we can transform how students experience education.

Let’s change more student lives, together.

Meredith Bieri & Casey Coughlin

Cofounders, LYNC Academy