On Wednesday, March 30, Eighth Grade Health welcomed to campus the JCK Foundation whose mission is to improve mental wellness and resilience amongst youth by working directly with schools and their communities.

How can we, as teachers, best transform classroom learning from “stuff you need to know for the test” to meaningful, internalized understanding that stays with our students for life? This question bears on every subject area we teach, certainly, but when I became Chair of Health Education at a K-12 independent school, it’s something I found myself thinking about constantly. In my previous role as Director of Health Education at the college level, I worked with older students who were that much more likely to understand this educational content as essential and practical to their personal well-being. How would we integrate the knowledge, belief, attitude, and skills that students in the primary, middle school and high school years would take with them beyond the classroom?

Jason Edwards, Director of Athletics, observes that “The athletic trainers at Hackley School have added new directives and techniques to stay at the top of their profession. They have embraced our ideals and have made the athletic training room a place that students would prefer to spend their time and interact as a community. They have expanded their role to not just the students on the Hilltop, but our employees. Their attitude and demeanor towards all things Hackley have made their transition to the school very easy and everyone within the community has valued this new direction.”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

When was the first time you remember being asked this question? I think my grandfather was the first to ask me when I was in elementary school. I don’t remember what I said but I can assure you that I did not say that I would “grow up” to be a high school principal.