Academics
Upper School | Gr. 9-12
Health & Wellness
Fundamental to Success
Wellness
Mental and physical health are fundamentally linked to our students' success in school and in life. Our mission to "know and value" every student includes helping them establish positive self-images, create meaningful and mutual relationships with others, and develop active and healthy lifestyles for long-term health. Our expert counselors, coaches, administrators and teachers all work together to help every student navigate the demands of high school and the process of becoming confident, well-rounded adults.
Our 9th-Grade Health and Wellness program is designed to provide our students with skills, content, and attitudes to make informed decisions about their behaviors and feel confident about their choices. We encourage them to think critically about common issues related to adolescent physical and emotional health and teach them the strategies they need to take ownership of their own long-term health and well-being. Our students learn to view physical, social and emotional wellness as an ongoing part of their development.
List of 2 items.
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Purposeful Progression
Our Health and Wellness curriculum follows an intentional path from the beginning to the end of every student's ninth-grade year. We teach this curriculum as a team so that each class is taught by the faculty with the most expertise in that particular area. The order of the classes is important too — we work to make sure our students get exactly what they need, exactly when they need it throughout the year.- Study Skills
- Multicultural Identifiers
- Fitness and Wellness for All
- Sex Education
- Adolescent Injury Prevention
- Adolescent Nutrition
- First Responder Training
- Mental Health Awareness
- Stress and Time Management
- Responsible Use of Technology and Social Media
- Human Sexuality Education
- Drug and Alcohol Prevention Education (through Prevention Solutions)
- Introduction to the Upper School Seminars Program (part of our leadership training program)
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Overall Goals
Information. We provide our students with accurate information on a spectrum of topics, including human growth and development, social norms, common high school stressors, human sexuality, body image, drug and alcohol use prevention, nutrition, social media, physical fitness, and response to injuries and emergencies, leadership training, and important building blocks for diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
Attitudes, Values, and Insights. We encourage our students to question, explore, and assess their own and their community's attitudes and values towards topics addressed in class.
Relationships and Interpersonal Skills. We help our students develop assertiveness, decision-making skills, and peer-refusal skills to navigate and enhance relationships with others, both in-person and virtual.
Fitness and Safety. We provide information necessary for students to make the types of long- and short-term decisions that lead to a healthy lifestyle. And we teach our students how to maintain a fit and healthy body as part of that long-term healthy lifestyle.
In this Section
Upper School Counselor Ms. Sam Straub
One of my favorite aspects of this program is that we get to know every ninth grader in a non-problem based environment. So when there is a problem, they know who to turn to and feel comfortable doing so. Relationship building is a critical piece of this work.
