Health & Wellness Sessions

Breakout Sessions

Better Together: An Integrative, Sustainable Approach to Developing Strong Women and Healthy Communities

This presentation will explore our journey towards a research-based, integrative approach to wellness, leadership, residential life and advising. When we recognized that two developing programs—a wellness program informed by Independent School Health Check data and a leadership program informed by values, traditions, and student leader experiences—shared a common vision, we discovered an untapped opportunity for positive community engagement. We will share tips for identifying and repurposing existing resources (time and money); our strategies for moving our community values to the center of conversation; and methods for engaging girls through a girl-centered, growth-oriented, and inclusive pedagogy.

PRESENTERS: Meghen Tuttle, Wellness Program Coordinator and Science Teacher Emily Johns, Dean of Student Life | Foxcroft School (USA)


Building a Comprehensive Curriculum: Adding SEL to the EC-12 Academic Architecture

Hathaway Brown School embarked on a two-year journey to identify, clarify and operationalize a truly comprehensive, unique, and embedded Social-Emotional Learning curriculum from Early Childhood through Upper School. Session attendees will hear the process that HB put in place to identify strengths, challenges, gaps and overlaps in the existing curriculum, along with the benefit of hindsight for schools thinking about embarking on a similar curriculum project. Access to our ebook, which contains divisional SEL information as well as developmental overviews for each grade level at HB, will be provided.

PRESENTERS: Hallie Ritzman, Director of Upper School; Sharon Baker, Director of Middle School; and Rebecca Biggar, Upper School Counselor, Director of the Center for Leadership and Wellbeing | Hathaway Brown School (USA)


Character, Character, Character: Encouraging Girls to Flourish

Much is made of the importance of character education in schools today. How to implement this on a daily basis is a challenge, but there is no doubting its importance if girls are going to flourish into confident young women. This session explores character education; its origins and aims and how it can be developed in the context of an academic girls’ environment. The focus will be on practical tips and strategies for implementation into other contexts.

PRESENTERS: Helen Jeys, Headmistress | Alderley Edge School for Girls (UK) and Claire Hewitt, Headmistress | Manchester High School for Girls (UK)


Empowering Girls to Own Their Academic Lives

Girls are achieving academically but at what price? Studies show that anxiety amongst girls is rising. In this presentation, we will explore how to shift girls’ experiences with schedule, homework, risk-taking, and feedback to create an environment that maximizes their experience while minimizing the psychological and emotional costs. We will suggest specific strategies and practices in order to help practitioners assist girls as they take control of their intellectual and emotional growth. The group will present academic and inquiry research studying the experiences of girls in grades 4 through 12, conducted at four independent girls’ schools around the country.

PRESENTERS: Ryann Williams Berry, Lower School English Teacher | National Cathedral School (USA); Molly Muller, 8th Grade Social Studies and Student Activities | Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart (USA); Lisa Loeb, Classical and Modern Languages Department Chair | Miss Porter’s School (USA); and Susanna Wilcox, Advancement Associate | Santa Catalina School (USA)


Everyone’s At The Table: A Whole School Approach to Relational Well-being

Relationships and school connectedness are important aspects of well-being at Branksome Hall. In this workshop, attendees explore how a decade of on-site research on bullying prevention and school connectedness, strategic commitments to well-being, and SEL theory shape our approach. Through different roles (teacher, researcher, social worker, counsellor) and small group activity, participants examine program components, decision making mechanisms, and evaluation tools that guide our whole school approach. The challenges and considerations of bringing everyone to the table—adults and students—in support of relational well-being will be highlighted. Attendees consider how the lessons learned apply to their own school communities.

PRESENTERS: Joelle Therriault, Lead Social Worker; Mira Gambhir, Director, Chandaria Center for Research, Branksome Hall; and Lauren Caldwell, Guidance & Special Education Teacher | Branksome Hall (Canada)


Healthy Schools, Healthy Leaders

For twenty years, Young Women’s Leadership Network has enhanced partner schools by focusing on four core areas, including health and wellness. Two years ago, our team decided to take a more proactive approach to understanding the health and wellness needs of our students in order to create more responsive and relevant programming and supports. Through a generous grant from a family foundation, we embarked on a plan that included: defining health and wellness and ensuring cultural-responsiveness; building student and teacher wellness themes into our PD offerings; creating and overseeing a comprehensive health and wellness needs assessment for our schools alongside consultants; launching a social work internship program; and forging new community-based health partnerships. In this session, we plan to share a behind-the-scenes look with audience members, including data findings, hard lessons learned, and interactive small group discussions about where we (and you) go from here.

PRESENTERS: Amanda Rosenblum, Girls’ Education Associate Director, Programs and Partnerships; Sarah Boldin, National Director of Professional Development; and Yahaira Gil Maestro, Girls’ Education Associate Director | Young Women’s Leadership Network (USA)


Helping Teachers and Schools Deal with Female Student Trauma

There’s no shortage of nature-made and person-made disasters in today’s world (Big T trauma) together with students experiencing toxic stress, abuse and trauma in their home environment (small t trauma). Sadly, trauma is an equal opportunity offender, touching people of all races, ethnicities and socio-economic statuses. Importantly, the trauma experienced by girls and women has added poignancy due to its physical, psychological, and societal impacts. Data on high ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experience Scores) show the sizable effects of trauma; these impact school performance, physical and mental health, and longitudinal success. This session will provide educators with concrete strategies for first identifying and then addressing the trauma female students experience. Teachers and administrators can gain insights into how better to serve their female students with high ACEs. Key realization: trauma recovery is not only possible but those girls who’ve been traumatized have many unrecognized positive traits that can serve them well as they mature.

PRESENTERS: Karen Gross, Senior Fellow | College Promise (USA) and Mary Frances Bisselle, Head of School | Hathaway Brown School (USA)


Lessons Learned: Moving Sexuality Education from the Shelf to the Classroom

This breakout session will provide a behind the scenes look at the implementation of a sexuality education curriculum in a K-12 girls school. The presenters will discuss the process for selecting the sexuality education program, training of faculty and staff, preparation of parents, and the facilitation of classes to students. During this discussion, presenters will discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the program roll out including what we learned along the way. Participants will be alloted time to brainstorm ways in which their school and/or agency could incorporate a comprehensive health and wellness program.

PRESENTERS: Keba Rogers, Director of Counseling and Wellness and Maria-Anna Zimmermann, Assistant Head of School for Student Life & Head of the Lower School | The Brearley School (USA)


Paradigm Shift: Sexual Violence Prevention That Empowers Youth Activists

The #metoo movement signaled a dramatic shift in public attention to sexual violence but how do we transform this attention into social change? This session provides a framework for imparting life skills and strategies that prevent sexual harm while motivating youth action and advocacy. You’ll learn about the NEST-NYU Curriculum for Sociopolitical Empowerment and the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, a new evidence-informed intervention that advances: (1) Knowledge of the sources of power and oppression that lead to violence and risk; (2) Knowledge about the specifics of sexual exploitation; and (3) The development of skills promoting safety and health.

PRESENTERS: Nishima Chudasama, Director of Programs and Libby Spears, Executive Director | Nest Foundation (USA); Amy Collins, Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Coordinator | Portland State University (USA); and Corianna Sichel, Doctoral Candidate | New York University (USA)


A Pro-active Approach to Engaging Parents as Stakeholders in the Wellbeing Journey

Perth College’s self-leadership programme, InsideOut, utilises the latest positive psychology science, equipping future female leaders with simple, tested actions for use in supporting them to flourish. Research suggests that parent education and support is crucial to the success of Positive Psychology intervention, and parent collaboration plays an essential role in school success and student achievement. This presentation will chart the ups and downs of three recent interventions: (1) Appreciative Inquiry with parents and staff; (2) Workshops for parents and students at intake years; and (3) Tools to engage the “Fellas” (Dads of Perth College girls).  We will also share InsideOut’s significant wellbeing research.

PRESENTERS: Debra Perich, Director of InsideOut; Danny Parker, Creative Director InsideOut; and Kristine Sanders, Early Childhood Consultant InsideOut | Perth College (Australia)


Wellbeing: Three Perspectives from Australia

Girls’ schools in Australia have long been at the forefront of innovative programming to support girls’ health and wellbeing. Come hear from three school leaders about the steps each of their institutions’ have taken to address student wellness. Dr. Heather Schnagl, former Principal of Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School, will discuss three proactive initiatives undertaken by the school, one of which was developed in conjunction with The University of Melbourne whilst the other were developed by our pastoral care team. From Ravenswood School for Girls, Deputy Principal Kim Bence will discuss the future of wellbeing in schools and moving forward from programs to practice. In particular, she will share Ravenswood’s Visible Wellbeing approach that has been undertaken in partnership with Professor Lea Waters PhD from the University of Melbourne. To conclude, Kate Hadwen, Principal of Presbyterian Ladies’ College and her colleague Director of Wellbeing Chonny James will share how they worked with students, staff, parents and the community to design and deliver a multi-million dollar world-class wellbeing Centre, the PLC Lighthouse.

PRESENTERS: Dr. Heather Schnagl, former Principal | Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School (Australia); Kim Bence, Deputy Principal | Ravenswood School for Girls (Australia); and Chonny James, Director of Wellbeing | Presbyterian Ladies’ College (Australia)


Why Girls’ Schools Need to Talk about Pornography

This session will consider the evidence that pornography is having a negative impact on young women and their relationships. It will outline how two very different girls’ schools have responded to the challenge of empowering girls by providing them with information, engaging them in conversation, and supporting them to understand the importance of consent and healthy relationships. The prevalence of pornography—the easy access young men have to it—is a problem for our girls who may not be aware of its impact. Not talking about this won’t help our girls. It is time for courageous conversation with each other and with our students.

PRESENTERS: Polly Flanagan, Principal and Jo Fern, Director of Students | Shelford Girls’ Grammar (Australia) and Diana Vernon, Principal | Methodist Ladies College (MLC) (Australia)


INSPIRE! Sessions

Adventure Girls: Creating Resilient Leaders who are Physically and Emotionally Fit, Fearless, and Fun!

In this session, participants will learn how students in Grades Three through Seven at Laurel School increase health and wellness while building resilience and leadership skills through physical challenges and carefully designed stress episodes during a program called Adventure Girls. Current research on resilience, stress, and anxiety from Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls guides and inspires this program. Participants will receive sample activities, monographs on resilience elements—growth mindset, relationships, self-care, purpose, and creativity—and rationale for how weekly sessions align and develop leadership.  Participants will leave with the essential information and research to design their own adventure program!

PRESENTERS: Shannon Lukz, Grade 4 Teacher/ PA Facilitator and Chuck Allen, Pre-Primary Physical Education/Experiential Learning & Project Adventure Coordinator | Laurel School (USA)


Bright Futures Workshop Series

“Bright Futures” is a series of six 30-minute health promotion modules guided by The Diffusion of Innovation Theory and Socio Ecological Theory, and utilizes evidence-based programs and guidelines which aim at increasing the knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes surrounding the issues of diet, exercise, sleep hygiene, mindfulness, alcohol misuse, and campus sexual assault as high school senior girls transition to college. The attendees of this INSPIRE! session will learn about the needs assessment, implementation, and evaluation of this program and the challenges that the presenter faced. Those interested in health promotion program design and implementation are encouraged to attend.

PRESENTER: Heidi Greenhalgh, School Nurse | Georgetown Visitation Prep School (USA)


Developmental Design: How do Schools Fit in to the Picture?

We know so much about social, emotional, and moral development in young people, so why don’t schools harness what we know? Could traditional school entry points in early years and middle years have a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of our students? In this session we will discuss the complexity of development in childhood and adolescence and look at the impact of transition and change on young people. We will also explore themes around development into adulthood and explain the significance of reconnecting with your alumnae.

PRESENTER: Kristy Kendall, Principal | Toorak College (Australia)


Emotional Literacy and the Power of Voice

This session will offer a deep dive into the “Melody-Memory Method”, a set of engagement and activation techniques that is currently being implemented in the Respect Starts Here curriculum for YWPN’s Young Women’s Leadership Academies in Texas. These techniques aim to rekindle the childlike in all students through MAPSS: movement, affirmation, poetry, story, and song. Participants will not only experience first-hand several different multi-modal engagement strategies but will also have the opportunity to put pen to page in a low-risk, high-success social and emotional learning activity that has been utilized with anyone from elementary school students to corporate executives.

PRESENTER: Will Richey, Founder; Alejandro Perez, Arts Educator and Activator


Let’s Get Real: Combating the Loss of Voice and Identity in 5th and 6th Grade Girls

The Center for the Advancement of Girls at The Agnes Irwin School designed the “Real Girls. Real Voices. Real Impact.” Saturday morning leadership workshop series for 5th and 6th grade girls. Research tells us that during this developmental stage, girls begin to lose their voice, and experience a lower level of self-efficacy and lost sense of self. CAG created these workshops to combat these shifts and give girls the opportunity to realize that which we so firmly believe: that all girls have the capacity to lead. Come and learn about the success of this program, its goals and its philosophical underpinnings.

PRESENTER: Alison Monzo, Program Manager | Center for the Advancement of Girls at The Agnes Irwin School (USA)