FEATURE
The ARC Program Mercy works to understand anxiety, build resilience, and achieve balance in our community
Mercy’s grounding in the Catholic faith has infused the school with an acute awareness of the dignity of every person. Our cultural value of appreciating the unique essence and gifts of each student compels us to evolve in our understanding of their joys and challenges. So, as we face growing concern over worrying national statistics as well as our own observations about teen mental health, Mercy has launched a school-wide initiative called the ARC Program. Last year, Mercy Leadership began to have more serious discussions about student anxiety. Teachers noticed more students talking about having anxiety and selfreported panic attacks. At the same time, they saw students wanting to be “perfect” academically, feeling that they had to get an A on every assignment. As a school that values and emphasizes the learning process as well as the outcome, faculty were concerned that students were less motivated to learn, with more of a desire to just figure out how to get an A. At that time, Campus Minister and Religion Department Chair Angie Simonetti put out a call to any faculty interested in reading a newly published book: “Enough as She Is” by Rachel Simmons, about the complex factors contributing to mental health issues in adolescent girls. Discussions at that book club eventually led to more formal and strategic meetings with Mercy Leadership about ways to support our students, and the ARC Committee was born.
“ARC is a metaphor. It encompasses the idea that our students are on an arc in their lives, and that we accompany them much like Noah shepherded those on the Ark. We are all in this together; sailing, guiding and supporting the girls toward their goals. It is both the image of an arc and the community that was formed on the Ark.” —Sandy Flaherty, Director of Mission and Catholic Identity
The ARC Committee began by collecting input and observations, and looking at student needs. It is simultaneously a think tank, reflection and action group. They discuss what qualitative and quantitative information would be helpful to inform school decisions - student and parent surveys, for example - and act to gather the insights needed. They have included the faculty in several discussions, and will continue to broaden the scope of research and exploration. An important goal of the ARC Program is to help students understand and reframe anxiety in order to teach them recognition and coping skills. A good place to start is a discussion around “healthy stress,’’ says Lauren Conklin, Assistant Head of School for Academics. “We, as teachers and parents, have the power to help our students learn to deal with distress about typical experiences, like tests, by normalizing those feelings and responding to them appropriately.” Teaching students to develop healthy coping strategies to deal with anxiety around daily experiences empowers them, instilling confidence and a strong, reflective sense of self. Resilience is at the heart of this goal. As defining traits of the Sisters of Mercy, the qualities of resilience and courage go all the way back to our foundress Catherine McAuley. Recent research is indicating that girls are not building resilience because they refuse to fail, and instead choose things that they are confident they will be successful in. This lessens creativity, innovation, and responsibility. “To build resilience, we need to create an environment where students can fail but aren’t crushed by failure,” says
ARC Committee pictured above left to right: Kelsey Connolly ‘12 - Religion Teacher; Sandy Flaherty - Director of Mission and Catholic Identity, Religion Teacher; Lauren Conklin - Assistant Head of School for Academics; Joy Phillips - Wellness Counselor; Angie Simonetti - Campus Minister, Religion Department Chair; Claire Rietmann-Grout ‘04 - Assistant Head of School for Student Life;Amaré Silva ‘12 - Advancement Event & Parent Coordinator; Elisabeth Franco - Counselor; Not pictured: Francesca Ohannessian - College Counselor; Caroline O’Sullivan - Counselor
6 MERCY HIGH SCHOOL BURLINGAME
