Mission Statement
In keeping with the Jesuit tradition of supporting the needs of the whole person, our mission is to foster adolescent well-being by creating an Ignatian school culture that encourages healthy lifestyle strategies for all students.
Main Objective
In order to better assist student achievement of ESLRs, students will be equipped with up-to-date information in a wide range of topics so that they may make positive, educated choices that allow them to create a healthy emotional and physical lifestyle.
Program Objectives
- Identify school-wide wellness needs.
- Educate and provide services for students in all identified areas of wellness.
- Educate and provide resources for parents in order to ensure that students are being supported at home.
- Provide training for teachers in areas of adolescent social, physical, and emotional well-being.
- Promote partnership with outside agencies.
Program Activities
To identify the school-wide wellness needs, the faculty, administrators and students completed a Wellness Gap Survey targeting multi-dimensional of wellness including social, emotional, physical, academic/intellectual, spiritual and occupational. The wellness survey identified areas of strength at the school and areas for improvement.
The Wellness Action Committee
This committee includes members of the faculty, administration, students and consultants. Members meet monthly to identify needs, discuss findings, and determine further steps of action. The Wellness Action Committee uses the results of the Wellness Gap Survey, results from the Stressed Out Students (SOS) project, WASC survey results, and other internal survey methods to best direct its activities.
The Wellness Action Committee was designed to support the overall wellness objectives of St. Ignatius by providing services and educational opportunities for students in all identified areas of wellness; providing resources and educational opportunities for parents that can help them support their daughters and sons at home; providing resources and educational opportunities for teachers in areas of adolescent social, physical, and emotional well-being; and promoting partnership with outside agencies.
The Committee is currently organized into six key subcommittees that will maintain and strengthen the wellness efforts at Saint Ignatius College Preparatory.
Social, Emotional, & Spiritual Wellness (Brice Campoverdi, Chair) – The focus of this subcommittee includes eliminating the stigma of mental health issues; addressing unhealthy stress; and providing education on eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and suicide prevention.
Current Plans and Activities:
- Hosting weekly "Monday Meditation" groups after school in Jensen Chapel
- Initiating "CPR Week" (Calm, Peace and Relaxation) before final exams
- Organizing student yoga groups
Existing resources and programs related to social, emotional, and spiritual wellness:
Stressed Out Students (SOS) (a three-year program to identify and address unhealthy sources of student stress)
Drug and Alcohol Education (Mike Thomas, Chair) – The focus of this subcommittee includes physical, emotional and intellectual wellness through drug & alcohol education.
Existing resources and programs related to drug and alcohol education include:
Every 15 Minutes (an educational experience that reminds us all of the dangers associated with driving while alcohol or drug impaired)
Community of Concern (working with parents to support our students in staying alcohol and drug free at SI)
Internet Safety (Michelle Levine, Chair) – The focus of this subcommittee includes emotional and intellectual wellness through the prevention of internet bullying, internet safety through education, providing counseling and related resources to parents, students and faculty.
Current Plans and Activities:
- Commonsense Media delivered a presentation for parents on February 17th that included an overview of Internet safety and the principles of good digital citizenship.
Sex Education (Jenna Boswell, Chair) – The focus of this subcommittee includes physical, emotional, spiritual wellness through education and providing students with resources related to sexuality and sex education.
Current Plans and Activities:
- Collaborating with the Wellness Curriculum subcommittee to produce brown-bag lunch sessions focusing upon sex-related health topics
- Working with the Biology level team to develop and expand current unit on human reproduction
Existing resources, programs, and curricula related to sex education include:
Human Reproduction & Sexually Transmitted Disease Unit (taught within the Biology course taken by most SI freshman)
Human Sexuality Course (a Religious Studies senior elective)
Wellness Curriculum (Hillary McKinney, Scott Plymale, Chairs) – The focus of this subcommittee includes physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual/academic, social and occupation wellness by providing an academic course to students focused completely on the multiple dimensions of wellbeing.
Current Plans and Activities:
- Recently organized a brown-bag lunchtime lecture series focusing upon a range of wellness topics, including nutritional health and drug & alcohol education
- Working with administration to plan, develop, and schedule a Wellness course elective to be offered Fall 2009.
Physical Health & Nutrition (Anthony Calvello, Chair) – The focus of this subcommittee includes maintaining and building upon the physical wellness of students through educational activities, direct participatory activities available to students, parents, faculty and administrators.
Current Plans and Activities:
- Strength and conditioning periods have been added twice daily and are open to faculty, students and parents.
Existing resources and programs supporting physical wellness at SI include:
Physical Education Department
Athletics Department
Current Area of Focus
SI has partnered with Edgewood Center for Children & Families through the Grace Magill Memorial Project. Edgewood is working with us to identify our strengths in addressing adolescent well-being as well as areas where we need added support. Based on our areas of need, they are helping us to bridge the gaps in services that we offer.
We are focusing our efforts for this school year on working with students by:
- Focusing upon clearly identified areas of need
- Offering optional educational opportunities
- Developing and providing mandatory educational opportunities
Resources
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