Wellness Warrior Spotlight
Name: Mallory Neuman
Occupation: High School Counselor

What skills have you focused on teaching this year?
Self-regulation and stress relief through guided relaxations and breathing exercises.

Working in a high school is busy and it seems there's a never ending to do list of standards to meet, tests and work/college to prep for and constant activities, assemblies and events. How is there time to teach these skills to ALL student at West Seattle High School?
As a high school counselor, you have to make time.  I’ll usually start a classroom lesson with a few minutes of deep breathing, before we get into the content.  We’ve also built lessons into our school-wide advisory curriculum, so even though I’m not personally delivering the lessons the students are learning about the benefits of mindfulness. Finally, I’ll work with departments who already understand the need for SEL and mindfulness (PE and World Language at the moment)...

This is the year of HAPPINESS in Dubai. Yes the year of Happiness! 

"We must achieve happiness for the community through government work. This is what the Executive Council's annual agenda will focus on, to ease people's lives and provide the best services, which will provide with them a dignified living and preserve Dubai's standing as a modern international city that promotes modernity while maintaining its cultural and social traditions," Sheikh Hamdan commented with regards to Dubai's overall success, which is a source of inspiration to other cities around the world.”

It was such a great experience observing an emphasis on happiness and well-being woven throughout communities and schools. We had a fabulous time teaching the five Happiness Habits, along with some stress-less techniques and connection activities.

"I've never met a kid who can't learn, poverty is not a learning disability."

Aren't skateboards off limits at schools? Not for this principal! Hamish Brewer is not your typical principal. He says that he spends the majority of his day out in the hallways, sends a loving message over the morning announcements every morning and has a school wide motto of 'Be Relentless'.

Wellness Warrior Spotlight
Name: Kris Connors
Occupation: K-5 School Counselor

How have you been teaching the happiness habits in your setting?
I have been teaching happiness habits to individual students and small groups in my office and extending this to classroom lessons so that teachers can continue this on in community circle time or when they see the class needs reminders about what is truly important.

What results have you noticed from teaching these skills?
Wow!  I have a success story about a 4th grade student who was in an EBD class last year (as a 3rd grader)! This student would have anxiety attacks at school, scream when upset, and not attend school due to having difficulties controlling her behavior or being overwhelmed.  She started this year at our school and I began implementing Generation Wellness strategies/lessons and happiness habits from the get go with her.  She was reluctant at first because she had a hard time trusting adults due to being new...

"When you give in service to other people, you end up being happier yourself." 

Daniel Siegel, MD, is Clinical Professor of psychiatry at UCLA, Co-Director of Mindful Awareness Research Center, Executive Director of Mindsight Institute, author, and recipient of numerous awards and honorary fellowships. This talk examines how relationships and reflection support the development of resilience in children and how to incorporate some of his ideas and models into your practice. 

Wellness Warrior Spotlight
Name: Ashley Zahn
Occupation: 3rd Grade Teacher
Interviewed By: Keilani Dehaan, School Counselor

Do you notice that many students are walking into the classroom feeling anxious, super energetic and sometimes distracted? Watch this video to hear how Ashley Zahn has incorporated daily guided relaxations into each school day. It's no surprise that she has noticed a dramatic increase in focus and a sense of calmness in her classroom. Also, you won't want to miss hearing how Keilani Dehaan uses guided relaxations as an intervention. It's a great episode filled with immediate takeaways!

Quotable: "After mindfulness, it's quiet! I noticed that students are much more focused on their work and they're so much calmer. There's a definite change of energy in the classroom." 

Ashley Zahn you are a true Wellness Warrior, helping students develop the tools to thrive in school and in life!

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[Source: Education Week]

Programs that teach students how to recognize their emotions, solve problems, and form healthy relationships may continue to show positive benefits for students months, or even years, after they complete them, a new meta-analysis finds. 

Students who completed social-emotional learning interventions fared better than their peers who didn't participate on a variety of indicators—including academic performance, social skills, and avoiding negative behaviors like drug use, finds the analysis, which examined follow-up data from dozens of published studies on specific interventions.

The meta-analysis builds on previous research that found social-emotional learning participants outperformed their peers academically. That research is frequently cited by policymakers and educational leaders who are seeking to promote social-emotional learning programs, through which schools teach students about emotions, relationships, and...