Yorkville Grade School social worker Adriana Resendiz brings peace of mind to students

Welcome to the Fox Zen Den, where Yorkville Grade School social worker Adriana Resendiz takes youngsters on a journey of mindfulness, peace and tranquility.

First, Resendiz greets her young K-3 students with an opening round of conversation designed to get the students to open up.

“How ya doing girl?” Resendiz says enthusiastically as she asks a student to tell what’s happening in her life.

Resendiz reacts to the students’ stories with an air of excitement that shows she cares, while clearly looking to judge the mood and attentiveness of the youngsters.

Soon, Resendiz is laying out colorful yoga mats for the students and leading them through a series of well-rehearsed poses, backed with the sounds of soothing mood music.

A certified yoga instructor, Resendiz concentrates the students’ minds on their breathing and encourages them to think about something that makes them happy.

“Hold on to those happy moments,” Resendiz said, telling the students to push away negative thoughts. “I am calmer. I am ready.”

The students then go through a “lightning-speed” round of poses, ranging from “chair” and “tree” to “turtle” and “rabbit.”

When they get to the “table” pose, Resendiz encourages the students to keep their backs straight.

“Otherwise, you’ve got spaghetti and meatballs all over the floor,” said Resendiz, who doesn’t speak down to the youngsters.

There’s more than yoga. Next, the group goes on a tour of the school halls for a “gratitude walk” in which the students observe and write down things for which they are thankful.

“We can always carry them in our heart,” Resendiz tells the students.

While the after-school yoga instruction is open to any student in the building, Resendiz is the school’s go-to person for helping students who have behavioral, emotional and other challenges.

“The only thing you can expect as a school social worker is the unexpected,” Resendiz said.

Born in Mexico, Resendiz is a first-generation American who came to this country with her parents as a youngster and learned to speak English when she was 8 years old.

The 2009 Sandwich High School graduate is a self-described nerd who has always loved the school environment.

As an elementary school student in Sandwich, an English language teacher named Marta Dunne was influential to Resendiz.

“She just kind of scooped me up and placed me under her wing. She ingrained in me a love for reading.”

The seeds for Resendiz’ future career already were being planted when she was involved in the formation of “The Homework Club” for older Hispanic students to teach younger ones.

Resendiz is proud of her Hispanic heritage and credits her father for instilling a strong work ethic and desire to help others.

“You have to take care of the people around you if you have the means and opportunity,” she said.

“You have to take care of the people around you if you have the means and opportunity.”

—  Adriana Resendiz, Yorkville School District 115 social worker

Resendiz earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Elmhurst University in 2013. She worked as a resident assistant and served on the student union board, organizing dances, a homecoming celebration and other activities.

While in college, Resendiz worked on a crisis telephone line for the Association for Individual Development.

“I loved working on the crisis line,” Resendiz said. “It really strengthened me as a professional.”

Later, Resendiz spent a couple of years working at an elementary school in Phoenix, Arizona, before returning to Illinois.

In 2020 Resendiz received a master’s degree in social work from Aurora University. While in graduate school, Resendiz was a social worker in Naperville School District 203, before her start with Yorkville School District 115 in 2020.

Resendiz worked two years at Yorkville Middle School, before moving to Yorkville Grade School at the start of the 2022-23 school year.

“I love K-3 students. They are so adorable,” Resendiz said.

While Resendiz engages in a sweet, conversational manner with students, she relies on proven, “evidence-based models” for helping the youngsters.

“A lot of the students are struggling with external factors,” Resendiz said. As the school’s lone social worker, she interacts closely with the school’s teachers.

“Every single teacher here is deeply committed and they believe in the potential of the students, but it can be challenging to work with some of those invisible barriers and internal struggles.”

Resendiz describes her job as “empowering and helping families” and seeks to do so through feedback from parents and staff.

“It’s important to me that my job reflects my values,” she said. “Social work is all about systems. I’m a nerd for the rest of my life.”

Resendiz makes her home in Hinckley with her husband and 6-year-old son. The couple is expecting another child in August.