Informal and Formal ways to demonstrate student contributions:

In the classroom, reflect on the following:

• How can you normalize sharing or giving in your classroom?

• Which voices are heard the most in your classroom? Which are silent?

• How can you highlight power in class decisions? School decisions?

• How do you role model sharing and giving to your students?

• How do I create opportunities for each student to contribute in some specific way?

Provide opportunities for students to do the following:

• Self-education about their communities

• Connection to contribution role models in their communities

• Peer learning and self-organizing

• Recognizing and measuring impact of their contributions

• Reflection on competition vs. flourishing

To: Covid Recovery and Wellness Team

The following suggestions stem from conversations with students from Eldorado High School. The students at Eldorado understand that circumstances at different schools vary and each school will need to have the autonomy to adapt a wellness curriculum that supports their students and staff.

Transitioning Back into School:

Schools should focus on building community and building mental wellness in all grades for the first two weeks (academics are important, but should take a back seat to mental wellness and the transition back into school). There are many established structures/processes in schools to introduce these concepts:

1. For schools that start freshman a day early, incoming students should be introduced and educated on how to access support structures and staff within the school.

2. For all other grade levels/returning students, class meetings can be the structure used to introduce a focus on mental health and discuss resources and staff.

3. School will create a student advisory board that will meet with staff and administrators about student wellness needs. The board should comprise of students from a variety of backgrounds to be representative of the student body. This board will meet with teachers, administrators, counselors, and other stakeholders to create specific plans for the school.

4. Within the first month, schools should create an opportunity for all students to positively engage in their community (beyond an assembly or pep rally).

5. The first week of school will promote cooperation between classes with a program that provides underclassman an opportunity to ask upperclassman questions about expectations, stress management, how to get involved in the school community (at EHS, We call it ASK A SENIOR).

These suggestions will support community and wellness by having students teach students, students will interact with all educators on campus, and students will develop a sense of familiarity and comfort within school. It can easily be adapted online by creating student groups.

Advisory:

Advisory creates an opportunity for educators to be advocates for students for four years. Students should have the same advisor for all four years if possible. Through advisory, educators should reinforce student efficacy, problem solving, mental wellness, and coping strategies. The focus of advisory should not be academic. It should focus on life skills.

1. First advisory, should be a longer period of time, so educators and students have an opportunity to build a community within the classroom. There are many opportunities to do this (e.g. team building activities, introduction strategies, playing games, etc.)

2. For the first month before advisory can be based on specific school needs, advisory should run on a rotating schedule with a theme for each week (e.g. week 1-community building, week 2-personal reflection, week 3-mindfulness, week 4-creation)

3. After a student advisory board is created, the schools should have the advisory board propose plans to the IC based on their need assessment.

4. As part of school community, senior and junior advisories should sponsor freshman and sophomore advisories. This will encourage communication across grade level and upperclassman take a leadership role to support and promote underclassman.

5. Advisory CANNOT be lecture. Students don’t read PowerPoint presentations or take the videos seriously. Allow students to engage in their community. For example, students can use advisory as a way to build or create something based on their interests. No assessment is needed. Let them guide themselves. Educators only have to ensure it is appropriate for school time. Each advisory can display or present their creations throughout the year.

6. The best way to promote mental wellness through advisory is to allow students opportunities to positively interact with their community. It doesn’t have to be a period of time that focuses on depression, anxiety, etc. It can be a mental break. An opportunity to do something for themselves or their community. Think of it as a recess for the adolescent mind.

Curriculum in Classrooms:

Mental wellness can be encouraged in everyday teaching. Educators can use strategies that support their curriculum and academic goals and promote student well-being.

1. All subjects can use reflection exercises and self-assessments. These are strong bell-ringer practices. For example, students could respond to prompts, such as: how well do you understand the material we are covering? Where do you get hung up? What else do you think you need to know?

2. Teachers can create student buddy systems in class. This can help students get work they missed if they were absent, it provides support if they are struggling in the class, and create a built-in support system within each class.

3. Teachers can evaluate and re-evaluate student workload. Teachers can look at mastery of content over large workload.

4. As part of recovery, teachers need to take their time to support student learning and provide remediation. This needs to happen even if it prevents completing the curriculum.

Valley High School

Developed by: Emily Wicker, LMSW, Special Education Social Worker