The Walsh Jesuit Student Wellness Initiative 2016-2017

Begun last year and continuing for this current school year, Walsh Jesuit has instituted major positive changes in its efforts to improve the overall wellness of our community.

In addition to the updated alcohol and drug policies, Walsh Jesuit is proud of the evolving Student Wellness Initiative for the 2016-2017 school year. During the previous school year, Walsh Jesuit convened a group of faculty, students and parents called the Faculty/Staff Wellness Committee and the Parent Wellness Committee based on the desire for a wellness initiative that focuses on the whole student.

Prior to officially revising the drug and alcohol policies, each committee created a specific survey for the student body to identify the needs of the students in 2016. Connecting with the theme of last school year, Cura Personalis, the initiative focuses in five main areas: mental, spiritual, physical, social, and intellectual.

Walsh Jesuit has thoughtfully modified its student wellness initiative to include the Companions Program, the Bully Box app, the S.M.A.R.T. Program, and Life Act’s High School Program. Regarding the emotional aspect of the initiative, Walsh Jesuit focuses on the importance of mental health, addressing issues such as the daily presence of stress and anxiety. Life Act’s High School Program, Recognizing Teen Depression and Preventing Suicide, will be presented in all Health classes. This program teaches students not only to recognize warning signs of mental illnesses, such as depression, in themselves or others, but also to emphasize the importance of seeking professional help and overcoming the stigma of mental illnesses. The SMART Program identifies the sources of stress and how to cope with it.

 Relative to the social and spiritual component of a Walsh Jesuit student, the Companions Program has been instituted to create social networks among students and teachers of all grade levels while demonstrating the importance of instilling the Grad-at-Grad characteristics into students’ everyday lives. Similarly, the improvements of Student Advancement Resource Expansion, based upon 21st century technologies, creates a class environment with the appropriate resources critical to the intellectual component of the initiative.

The Bully Box app has been “pushed” onto the iPads of all Walsh Jesuit students to provide an anonymous way to seek help with cyber bullying, generally presented through the means of social media. According to Assistant Principal Mr. Sean Lynch, “Social media has the ability to bring people together but oftentimes breaks people apart.”

Walsh Jesuit has also updated its cafeteria menu to provide healthy food choices for all students and has created a full-time Strength & Conditioning Coordinator to encourage the physical wellness of the students. Since the Wellness Initiative is in its early development, the school welcomes all questions, feedback and suggestions that can enhance the overall goals of the program.