Responding to COVID challenges facing students, St. Anne School has implemented in-school educational programing designed to offer their students assistance with coping skills, social situational support, and positive focus skills andtools.

“Given the challenges and restrictions our students are facing in this COVID environment, we decided to provide them with a more substantial support system in dealing with emotions and social situations,” says St. Anne School Principal Karen Bentz. “I am pleased that we can offer two no-cost programs, the SHANTI PROJECT utilizing Mindfulness and the Second Step curriculum offered by the Center for Humanistic Change.”

Bentz notes that as of the end of February students had been in school five full days and had been beyond remarkable in following strict health protocols.

“They do, however, need kindness and understanding along the way in coping with these unique circumstances our society is facing,” she said.

The SHANTI PROJECT began a dozen years ago and is based on research working with children and their emotions. Mindfulness teaches mind-body self-awareness that assists with reducing stress, improving focus and promoting positive emotions. It provides students with the tools to react calmly to stressful situations. Second Step is a classroom based social-emotional curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade. The program’s age-appropriate curriculum focuses on the use of a fully integrated framework to promote social, emotional and academic success.

Second Step began last month and the Mindfulness Shanti Project programing begins this month and both programs will run approximately eight weeks.

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