Healthy Students Make Better Learners

by Macy Kleinfelder, Dean of Student Affairs, The Williams School

“Who you are is more important than what you know” (Unknown)

How do you know you’ve raised a successful adult? It probably isn’t standardized test scores, semesters on honor roll, or GPA earned; nor is it the number of solo performances, Varsity letters, or clubs and activities your child tallied.

Parents look to raise happy, healthy, productive citizens – people who are honest, conscientious, empathetic, resilient, confident, and able to collaborate and problem solve. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Character is higher than intellect.”

In 21st century society, professional success isn’t dictated by performance in school. People are looking to hire those with the knowledge and skills to adapt to what they are faced, who are able to work in partnership with others, and who have integrity and are able to maintain balance. According to the Carnegie Institute of Technology, 85% of financial success is due to skills in “human engineering,” personality and an ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. Only 15% is due to technical knowledge.

For this reason, schools are moving beyond traditional scholastic education and have begun to look at the progress of personal intelligences, including work habits and responsibility, confidence and compassion, motivation and grit, teamwork and appreciating differences in others.

Health and Wellness Education

No doubt, adolescents are faced with challenging issues and ethical dilemmas, and they are able to make more appropriate decisions and healthier personal choices when armed with an underpinning of knowledge and social skills. Moreover, it is important for students to be a part of discussion around adolescent topics in order for these young adults to be able to practice self-expression, develop opinions, and navigate the diverse world around them. Health and wellness of students is integral to academic success, and knowledge of such noncognitive abilities is a life-long benefit as young adults transition to college and beyond.

Thus, the core of a successful Health and Wellness curriculum is to develop students who are ready for a lifetime of learning and active participation in a changing society. The goal should be to supply students with a solid foundation of skills, more than content, that can be used as young adults head off to college and beyond: how to maintain a healthy life style, identifying core values, and cultivating coping skills and resiliency.

The Williams School Approach

The Williams School has created a multi-pronged, age-appropriate approach to tackle health and character education at all grade levels as well as provide parallel programming for faculty and parents. Topics we strive to include:
- Resilience, Mindfulness, and Creating Balance
- Empathy and Gratitude
- Integrity and Leadership
- Interpersonal Skills and Decision Making
- Substance Use, Abuse, and Prevention
- Sexual Development and Health
- Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Internet Safety and Citizenship
- Gender Identity and Sexuality
- Embracing Diversity
- Nutrition and Fitness
- Financial Literacy

The School aims to address a wide range of content through Middle School Enrichment, assemblies led by Williams staff, students, or guest speakers, professional development for the faculty, and parent education programs. Additionally, advisor groups meet weekly to tackle topics in a smaller group setting, and student groups such as GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) and PSA (Political, Social Justice, Awareness Club) provide an outlet for student ideas and questions. This diverse, evolving, and interactive curriculum allows the School to develop programming that changes with the needs of our students, families, and faculty.

Using Community as a Resource

Southeast Connecticut is host to a wealth of organizations with vast experience and knowledge. Often these groups are eager to provide outreach by giving presentations, hosting discussions, leading activities, or simply being a resource. This year, Williams has worked with the following groups:
- New England Center for Anxiety
- Community Speaks Out
- Andy Bucarro from Project Courage
- outCT
- College of Health and Wellness at Johnson and Wales University

Additionally, Williams seeks to bring in nationally recognized experts including Katie Koestner from Campus Outreach Services and Rais Bhuiyan founder of the inspiring organization, World Without Hate.

Williams is also lucky to be able to look within as we have great assets within the Williams community:
- Kolton Harris ’10 is presenting at T.E.A.M. Week (Teaching Equality and Multiculturalism)
- Gregory Rutchik ’83 introduced Williams to the grit curriculum
- Faculty members led mindfulness workshops for professional development
- Kim Folts P ’17, ’18, and ’20 began the Self-Defense Club

At Williams, the goals are simple: provide students exposure to social-emotional education and strengthen their ability to have sound judgment, make healthy decisions, and articulate their guiding belief systems. Not only will this allow us to focus directly on these success skills but also to incorporate them into the academic realm through active engagement and by developing constructive habits of mind.