At Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall, Health and Wellness courses look different. All students at CH-CH receive 6-7 weeks of wellness lessons during class meeting times, and the type of lessons and the content they engage with change and grow with each student each year. 9th and 10th grade programs are specifically designed to help students settle into high school life. Once students reach 11th grade, they get the opportunity to choose their own wellness curriculum. This unique program to CH-CH is allowing students to engage in Health and Wellness topics they’re interested in, boosting engagement, and providing students with essential real-world skills.
9th Graders start their Health and Wellness journey with a curriculum focused on navigating the digital space. Today, young people are constantly exposed to new and ever-changing technologies, from social media to AI (artificial intelligence) to group text messages. CH-CH’s Wellness courses are designed to guide students through the digital world, providing methods and strategies for managing the stress that may accompany it.
In 10th grade, students continue their Wellness courses with a curriculum devoted to identity and belonging. This work is designed to complement CH-CH’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) approach that is present in all courses. In this “crash course” focused on social and cultural competence, students are given the space to explore topics of identity and belonging. In the latter half of the course, students are able to choose between the following wellness electives:
Healthy Relationships (REACH Beyond Domestic Violence)
Exploring Life's Journeys
Good vs. Bad- Is it that simple?
Once students reach the 11th grade, the Health and Wellness opportunities open up, and students can choose a course that best suits their needs and interests. “Giving students a choice in their learning has worked wonderfully, and created an environment of engagement in the subject matter,” says Neil Hagen, Director of Counseling and Wellness. “We’re finding that community interest leads to more fruitful discussions.” Below are the courses that 11th Graders have to choose from:
Making Informed Decisions: Substance Abuse and Addiction
Communication and Conflict Resolution With AgileBrain
Stress and Emotional Resilience With AgileBrain
Navigating Current Events
In 12th Grade, students continue to have the opportunity to choose their Wellness education, and this year, courses reflect the future that is to come after graduation. Seniors have the option to choose between the following wellness electives:
Financial Literacy
Strong Within
Accessible Movement
Taking Charge of Your Future
Informing Decisions with AgileBrain
Sleep Hygiene
“We want to offer the most diverse courses we can,” says Hagen. “While a student may find the idea of doing a course based around substance use to be uninteresting, they might be really interested in Strong Within, a course that examines the relationship between performers (like athletes or theater students) and the anxiety their activity might bring them.”
In Hagen’s opinion, students naturally gravitate towards the subjects they are interested in that they believe will complement their life the most. One of the things Hagen hears is that students sometimes leave high school feeling like they don’t have real-world skills. “These choices help give students agency in their education, while delivering the lessons they need.”
Some of the Wellness offerings at CH-CH use a recently developed program called AgileBrain. AgileBrain provides students with quick and engaging image-based exercises that enhance insight into their emotional state, thus providing a strong foundation for positive change. In short, for some, it's a more accessible way to make sense of their emotions. Students can then use this insight to create strategies for managing communication, stress, and their emotional resilience. CH-CH became the first school in the country to utilize this technology last year. Now, students who used AgileBrain last year can see how their feedback has shaped the technology and continue to further their understanding of their brain.
“We’re doing meaningful work,” says Hagen. CH-CH is unique in that Health and Wellness courses are mandatory through 12th grade. Hagen has seen that this program and the element of choice is fostering an environment of more thoughtful engagement with the material. “We’re just scratching the surface, and it’s exciting to already see students dive deeper into the material than they might have expected.”