Weaving Wellness into the School Day

By Elizabeth Heubeck

Monday mornings can be tough on high school students. After enjoying a brief respite from school's stressors, a new round of academic assignments and extracurricular activities looms ahead. That's why last year, rising Gilman senior Nigel Parker would make a concerted effort to get to school by 7:30 a.m. each Monday and head straight to the school library. There, he'd get a head start on the school week—without opening a single book.

Nigel would take a seat in a circle with classmates and faculty members and, for the next 30 minutes, engage in a guided meditation session led either by Gilman's Director of College Counseling Sarah Ross or Veronica Parker (Nigel's mother and a trained yoga and wellness instructor). "The days I had meditation, I felt better in class, refreshed. I was more confident and more willing to speak up," said Nigel. Gilman's Monday meditation sessions represent one of the countless ways that area independent schools are weaving wellness into students' everyday experiences. While they may seem like an excessive luxury, experts agree that wellness-related initiatives allow students the best shot at reaching their fullest potential in the classroom and beyond. Independent schools' increasing emphasis on wellness coincides with a rise in mental health issues during childhood. Between 2003 and 2012, the percentage of children aged 6 to 17 diagnosed with anxiety or depression rose from 5.4 percent to 8.4 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly one in three adolescents will experience an anxiety disorder, reports the National Institutes of Health. Experts blame the rise on several factors, including academic pressure, global threats, and social media. Just as there's no one reason for this uptick in mental health issues among children, nor is there one response. Schools use new strategies to nurture their students' mental health along with their intellect.

Re-evaluating school from a wellness perspective

At McDonogh, Head of School Dave Farace describes a growing emphasis on student wellness. "We've always been focused on it. But in recent years it's been top of mind for me, particularly because we're seeing these national trends: increases in students' stress and anxiety and mental health issues, and even suicide," he says. To address the need, McDonogh's associate head of school, Kate Mueller, is heading up a cross-divisional committee that will explore how McDonogh can enhance students' wellness schoolwide. "We'll celebrate and recognize what we're doing well, and consider how we can enhance programming—whether through school, advisory programs, and/or parent association programs," Mueller says. McDonogh evaluates every aspect of the school with an eye towards wellness, explains Mueller, curriculum included. For instance, the school currently teaches Advanced Placement (AP) in the upper school. Despite the proliferation of AP courses nationwide, Mueller suggests that their test-driven nature contributes to academic pressure and is, perhaps, in conflict with skills that McDonogh believes students need to be successful post-graduation. "We are exploring replacing it [AP] with our own LifeReady curriculum, which would be more authentic and genuine," Mueller says.

Wellness starts early

Even the youngest of students can learn behaviors to guide their mental health development. So points out Vicki Hervitz, the preschool guidance counselor at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Pikesville. While its students' mental health has long been a priority at Beth Tfiloh, two years ago, Director of Education Zipora Schorr took an additional step. She added a guidance counselor to the preschool; a decision Hervitz calls "a very progressive, and necessary, move." Hervitz describes some ways the preschool exposes young students to healthy ways of managing emotions. In one old-fashioned "center" (think dress-ups and blocks), placement-like objects containing a blank face await children's finishing touches. Using simple manipulatives, students create a face that expresses how they're feeling. There's also a tent in the class with room for one. "The small cozy space helps you relax and contain your emotions," says Hervitz, who emphasizes it's not intended to be disciplinary. The students also learn direct methods for calming themselves, including diaphragmatic breathing, which, Hervitz explains, combats that fight, flight, or freeze brain response. "We can teach our youngest students more than their ABCs. We can teach them how to cope," Hervitz says.

Faculty wellness first

The same can be said for school faculty members, whose high-stress jobs can impact mental health. At Loyola Blakefield, school nurse Kelly Klug heads up Loyola's wellness committee, which has received accolades from employee benefits provider Educator Benefits Services. Klug says that, to date, Loyola has focused its EBS Wellbeing Program primarily on faculty needs. A faculty flu shot clinic, biometric screening, exercise classes, a faculty-only gym area, a wellness/meditation room, and periodic chair massages comprise some of the wellness initiatives Klug has spearheaded for Loyola's faculty members. Moving forward, the committee plans to widen the wellness focus to include students. It's likely to begin with a student-centered health and wellness club, with students steering the agenda. "As the school nurse, I see and talk to kids all the time. They're interested in ways to make their daily lives more healthy," Klug says. So, too, are Baltimore's independent schools.

Preschool-12th Grade College Preparatory with a Christian Worldview

Visit our website at www.chapelgateacademy.org SMALLER SCHOOL BIGGER OPPORTUNITIES or contact Admissions at 410-442-5888 ext. 122

Influencers, Cont’d

(Chris Post, from p. 28)

When I was a senior at Johns Hopkins University, I worked as an intern in Boys’ Latin’s middle school. My entire professional experience has been framed against what I saw here during my internship. Nearly 15 years ago, I was given the opportunity to return to Boys’ Latin as headmaster. In many ways, it was a homecoming for me. The strong and consistent leadership we have at Boys’ Latin has created a community where our boys can truly thrive.

What do you hope to achieve in your role?

The experience of our boys both in the classroom and in our co-curricular activities is second to none. Our intentionally small community gives boys the chance to pursue their passions or try something new. Here at BL, there’s space for many leaders, rather than just a few. We don’t take it for granted that, at our school, our students are remarkably happy. All of us work hard to create an environment where students feel at home, safe to pursue their academic curiosities and develop their unique talents. Our boys are stewards of this culture, and our faculty help share in that responsibility, ensuring that each one of our students is known, not only for who he is today, but all that be can be tomorrow. about what the teachers were doing. I was astounded by what they were able to accomplish with their young students! The teachers at Grace went above and beyond. They gathered materials, provided pickup times for parents, and most often, they hand-delivered materials to their student's doorsteps. The teachers were concerned about losing the connection with their students and parents, so face-to-face distanced deliveries helped solidify that strong relationship. My favorite images from distance learning at Grace have everything to do with relationships. Teachers delivering Easter baskets to students, parents giving teacher appreciation gifts, and a kindergarten graduation parade highlight how Grace handled distance learning during the pandemic.

Our work as a school – and my own work as head of school – is to help change lives. We are a place where boys are known, cared for and valued. We seek to empower boys, to help each strive for academic and personal excellence, to inspire a young man to act courageously, with compassion and with integrity.

(Tami James, from p. 29)

What do you hope to achieve in your role?

social distancing, and pandemic were not a part of my everyday vernacular. My goals for Grace had nothing to do with a global pandemic! My goals had everything to do with taking over a school, embracing the teachers, families, and students, and providing a traditional pre-school program with extended hours in hopes that teachers of Baltimore would have a preschool to send their children that had teacher-friendly hours so they could do what they do best - love and teach their students during the day, and as soon as possible love and care for their children each evening. I still have plans to accomplish the aforementioned goals, but for now, my main hope is to provide a safe environment for children to learn in the midst of a global pandemic. The teachers and I have been working hard to prepare several different scenarios for when we open in the fall. There will be new policies and procedures in place this year to ensure the health and safety of our students. Additionally, we formed a task force, and it is meeting throughout the summer to plan for the fall. Its goals include mapping out the curriculum for each age level and incorporating new methods of teaching into each unit should we move to distance learning again. When our doors open in September, our primary goal will be to cultivate relationships and trust with everyone in the Grace community.