Northeast Campus Chaplain Program Shows Early Success, Expands to Seguin for 2026–27
What began as a new student support initiative at Southwest Preparatory School’s Northeast Campus quickly became something much more — a place where students felt heard, supported, encouraged, and connected.
Following a successful first year at the Northeast Campus, Southwest Preparatory School plans to expand its Campus Life Chaplain Program to the Seguin campus for the 2026–27 school year.
The Northeast Campus partnered with Campus Life through South Texas Youth for Christ during the 2025–26 school year, welcoming Campus Chaplain Caleb Gray to serve students and staff through mentorship, relationship-building, small group discussions, and emotional support opportunities.
During the program’s first year, more than 40 students participated in Campus Life activities and relationship-building opportunities on the Northeast campus. Student involvement continued to grow throughout the year, highlighting the need for connection, encouragement, and positive support systems for students both inside and outside the classroom.
“This semester of running Campus Life at Southwest Preparatory has been tremendous,” Gray shared in a year-end summary of the program. “At any given point since beginning club, at least eighty percent of sixth through twelfth grade students have attended club.”
Gray explained that many students who were initially hesitant about participating gradually became more comfortable opening up, asking questions, and engaging in meaningful conversations with peers and trusted adults.
“My greatest hope is that students in need know that there is someone here who cares about them,” Gray shared. “It is very important to me that every student at Southwest Prep knows that they have someone they can come to, and that they don’t have to feel alone.”
Southwest Preparatory School Superintendent Christinn Jean said the district was able to launch the program following the passage of Senate Bill 763 in 2023, which allows Texas public school districts to employ or accept volunteer chaplains to support students.
“This change created an opportunity to add a role that our district has long valued but previously could not include under state law,” Jean explained. “With the new authorization, we are able to bring in chaplaincy support to help address students’ emotional, social, and mental well-being, while maintaining our commitment to serving all students respectfully and inclusively.”
District leaders say the Chaplain Program was never intended to replace counseling services, but rather strengthen the district’s overall culture of care by offering students and staff another trusted source of support during times of stress, grief, or personal challenges.
“We hope the Chaplain role will strengthen our overall support system for students and staff,” Jean said. “By adding a chaplain to campus life, we aim to provide an additional layer of social-emotional and behavioral support for students, offer a caring presence and listening ear during times of stress or crisis, and help connect students and families with appropriate resources for mental-health or community support.”
The Campus Life program focuses heavily on relationship-building and mentorship. According to Youth for Christ materials, the program is designed to help students establish a strong foundation for life while positively impacting their schools and communities through healthy relationships and supportive adult mentorship.
Throughout the year, Gray spent much of his time connecting with students during lunch periods, attending student activities, hosting Campus Life gatherings, and making himself available to students who needed additional support.
“I believe the best word I could give would be love,” Gray shared when describing the heart of the program. “We simply hope that all of the students will know that they are loved, even on their worst days.”
The positive response from students and families at Northeast helped inspire the decision to expand the program to the Seguin campus beginning in 2026–27.
“If this program continues to make a positive difference for our students and staff, we’d love to see it grow,” Jean said. “The plan is to learn from this first year — what works best, what students respond to most — and then use that experience to guide the addition of Chaplain support on other campuses in the future.”
As Southwest Preparatory School prepares to launch the program in Seguin, district leaders remain hopeful that the expansion will continue strengthening relationships, supporting students emotionally, and helping campuses remain places where every student feels welcomed, encouraged, and cared for every day.