(Burbank, IL) - St. Laurence High School is excited to announce the addition of Lauren Sirus as the school’s new Mental Performance Coach, a first-of-its-kind resource for student-athletes in the Southland.

The role of the Mental Performance Coach is to implement the assessment, design, and facilitation of support service programs for student-athletes in the area of sport and mental performance. The ultimate goal is to collaborate with athletes, coaches, and administration to maximize whole person success within the framework of the Gold S.T.A.N.D.A.R.D., the Athletic Department’s new core values. This includes individual feedback, team interventions, and specialty workshops that will empower individuals to build strategies related to enhancing performance, coping with the pressure of competition, mentally recovering from injuries, motivating themselves to continue training through adversity and finding personal fulfillment within sport and competition.

“The addition of Coach Sirus in this new role is a commitment to the wellness of the students at St. Laurence,” said St. Laurence President Joseph Martinez ‘99. “Teenagers and student-athletes in the 21st century are dealing with many different types of pressures that exist outside of the normal school day – some that existed in the past, and some that did not. Laura’s experience will assure that our student-athletes have the guidance needed to navigate anything they may be struggling with so they may find success on and off the field, court, track and anywhere in between.”

Coach Sirus joins St. Laurence with 20 years of experience in the world of mental performance, working as a licensed clinical and school social worker and special education teacher. After seeing the impact positive role models can have on young athletes, she left the public sector of education to pursue her clinical license in social work and set up a community practice (B.O.O.S.T.) that would place an emphasis on mental performance access at the athletic program and team level. A Chicago native, Lauren attended Immaculate Heart of Mary High School and Loyola University of Chicago and competed athletically for both schools. During her time at IHM, Lauren was a dual sport Varsity athlete in girls’ soccer and girls’ basketball, where she competed in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference and earned All-Conference, All-Area, and Senior Athlete of the Year accolades. While at Loyola, Lauren was a four year starter for the Women’s Basketball program where she graduated as one of only five members of the 1,000 point/ 600 rebound club and garnered accolades of program MVP and All Conference for the Horizon League.

“It is an honor to partner with the St. Laurence community as the Mental Performance Coach for scholar-athletes,” said Sirus. “Growing up in the world of elite athletics, there weren’t many conversations about self-care and the importance of mental performance support. However, I have found success in making a commitment to that process while at the same time making a commitment to my sport. Living firsthand the difficulty of creating that balance, I believe the youth athletes of today need guidance in learning how to do the same. It’s a powerful testament to the nurturing environment of St. Laurence High School that they also recognize the importance of empowering their scholar-athletes to access this type of guidance. My hope is to expose as many young athletes to the power of this process throughout the evolution of their athletic pursuits. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to do this within the community of excellence that is St. Laurence.”

Coach Sirus is the newest among an unmatched roster of resources for St. Laurence student-athletes, which also includes Director of Sports Science and Performance Brad Leshinske, who provides every athletic program the highest level of strength and conditioning training, and Academic Advisor for Athletics Chris Lyle, who helps students achieve their goal of playing their sport in college. This is in addition to the revamped Student Services team, which includes a Director of College Persistence, Director of Student Resources, three school counselors, school nurse, Intervention and Assessment Specialist, Dean of Student Safety, Security and Performance, Dean of Student Engagement and Dean of Student Success – all of which serve every St. Laurence student.