.png){kind=logo}
1791 | October 2015
Update on The Walsh Wellness Center at Oakes House
Now that we are a little over a month into the school year, I thought it might be helpful to give you an update on “the happenings” at The Walsh Wellness Center at the Oakes House. As you all know, the Wellness Center opened its doors just a few days before the start of the school year. Administration, along with the three Division Directors, made a conscious decision to hold “student open houses” for all three divisions. Over the first week of school we witnessed droves of students ranging in age five to eighteen making their way down the hill to tour the new facilities. While Lower School students came down by grade level with their teacher in tow, Middle School students came down in packs of ten to fifteen at designated times. As expected, Upper School students came down repeatedly, at all different times, and in various configurations. The response from all of the students was a definite “WOW, this place is amazing.” It was great to see some of the Middle School students and many more of the Upper School student just hanging around on the courtyard relaxing in the Adirondack chairs or playing a game of cornhole on the lawn. The great news is that even though “open house” is officially over, students from all three divisions are still regularly making their way down to the Wellness Center.
To be quite honest with you, the news from the School Nurse’s office is much better than we would have ever anticipated. Any time you move an office that is so critical to a school community you worry about upsetting pace and flow. The following e-mail from Mrs. Chiang on October 1, 2015 to Greg and me certainly quelled those worries… “Proof that the kids have adjusted beautifully--I've had 383 visits since 9/8/15. Today felt like a slow day, but we still had 25 kids come through!” I’ve also received reports from Karen that all five convertible chair/beds have been occupied more than once this school year. Every time I see her she tells me how lucky she feels to have such a beautiful new space.
Moving upstairs in the Oakes House, the two new tutoring spaces have been in high demand since the opening. I have to say from the Wellness Team’s perspective, it is wonderful to finally have a dedicated space for academic wellness and counseling. The Administrative team also hopes to start allowing juniors and seniors to use the tutor rooms for additional study space when they aren’t occupied. Even though the Mother’s Room isn’t at capacity yet, we predict the “2015-16 Berwick Baby Boom” will change that in the coming months.
Now that the school year is underway, booking time in the new test kitchen and Katz Learning Lab has gotten a bit trickier. I believe the commonly misquoted saying from the movie Field of Dreams “If you build it, they will come” is ringing true here. Christine Bessette, Upper School Science teacher, is utilizing both areas when teaching her trimester course entitled, The Science of the American Diet. Greg Schneider, Head of School, is teaching all of his Grade 8 Ethics classes in the Katz Learning Lab, and Kim Kryder, School Counselor and Sarah Ross, Academic Support Coordinator, are teaching all of their Freshman Foundations classes in the Learning Lab. Laurie Beakes, the Administrative Assistant in the Middle School, is running a Fall Activity Period entitled, Random Acts of Cookness in the new test kitchen and Liz-Anne Platt, Lower School Passport to World Cultures teacher, is planning to use the test kitchen to actually cook some of the recipes from the Lower School World Language Cookbook. It is so exciting to see this beautiful new, state-of-the-art facility utilized while enhancing our students’ learning.
Walking up the stairs from the test kitchen and the Katz Learning Lab and turning left, you enter into what I believe is now the most beautiful space on campus, the new Yoga Studio. Surrounded by numerous windows that allow light to stream from every angle and crowned by the building’s original wooden beams the studio breathes of peace and serenity. Not only do Upper School student get to utilize this breathtaking space for afterschool yoga classes, but faculty and staff have two dedicated times per week that they can come together to practice yoga. In addition to yoga, Jen Hill, Middle/Upper School Spanish teacher also offers morning mediation on Thursday at 7:30 a.m., and rumor has it that impromptu faculty yoga is also taking place when the space is available. Kara McCabe, the School’s part-time yoga instructor, will be offering classes to our Middle School students this winter, along with her ongoing Upper School classes. Lastly, it is the hope of our Athletics Department that Ms. McCabe will be able to offer yoga as a regular training component for Upper School sports teams in the future.
In conclusion, the reception and utilization of The Walsh Wellness Center at the Oakes House over the first month of school has been nothing less than amazing. Students, faculty, and staff all seem excited and energized by this new space and ideas for future programming abound. I invite every Berwick parent who hasn’t yet had the opportunity to see the new space to stop in and look around. Your thoughts and ideas are always welcomed!
Sincerely,
Cindy Briggs
Berwick Academy
31 Academy Street
South Berwick, Maine 03908
Contact:
Admission | 207.384.6300
Main Office | 207.384.2164
South Berwick, Maine 03908
Contact:
Admission | 207.384.6300
Main Office | 207.384.2164
Berwick Academy, situated on an 80-acre campus just over one hour north of Boston, serves 520 students, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Postgraduates. Berwick students are from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and several countries. Deeply committed to its mission of promoting virtue and useful knowledge, Berwick Academy empowers students to be creative and bold. Berwick strives to graduate alumni who shape their own learning, take risks, ask thoughtful questions, and come to understand and celebrate their authentic selves.
