Mindfulness

Every morning began with a student-led mindfulness meditation for the entire school during the morning announcements. Mindfulness was part of the school culture. In 2017, the mindfulness program began at Fairdale High School in Louisville, KY, based on a model from Baltimore’s Holistic Life Foundation. Students self-select to visit the mindfulness room as a self-regulation and behavioral alternative option. Based on active listening and the student’s need, a mindfulness intervention would be provided for the student’s 15-minute visit. Peer mentors, or Mindfulness Ambassadors, were trained to develop their personal mindfulness practice to then share their knowledge with their peers in the mindfulness room and in the classroom. During the first year, the mindfulness room had over 1,000 student visitors—visiting for reasons such as distraction, test-taking anxiety, peer pressure, life stressors, distraction management, anger, and fight prevention—and the program is still thriving today.