Annual Fund Bolsters Wellness Program at Montrose

6/4/2024

Thanks to the support of annual fund benefactors and The Elizabeth Schickel Foundation, Montrose had the opportunity to incorporate a Wellness Program into our curriculum.

At the start of the 2023-24 school year Sue Muldoon, the Director of Wellness, has provided an additional layer of oversight and educational support to ensure the diverse and emergent needs of our students are met. Her role includes providing teacher and mentor formation, lending expertise to our parent enrichment opportunities, and teaching one or more M Block sessions for each grade level, allowing her to connect with all students. Sue has come to us with three decades of experience providing mental health services in clinical, pastoral and higher education settings.

Students reflecting on the Wellness Department’s contribution to their wellbeing have shared:

“Habits of Character is a time of day where I can reflect and have a chance to relax. We have many group discussions and we use what we've learned in fun and engaging activities. Everything that we learn can be brought into real life situations which I find incredibly useful.” Gigi Adovasio ‘27

“I would say that Mrs McEnroe's class is both useful and I enjoy it because it is a time in our week when we, as a class, come together to check in on ourselves and learn as well as connect with our emotions so we may better understand not only what we are feeling and why, but also how to accept and cope with our emotional state. Mrs McEnroe is also very good at connecting with her students to create a space where we feel comfortable to learn about such personal topics.” Kelly Ladino ‘25

The Wellness Department also serves as a partner and resource to our parent community. Parent initiatives that the Wellness Department has offered include:

A workshop for parents to explore what their daughters are learning via the Habits of Mind curriculum
Presentations to the MPG titled, "Passing the Baton: Balancing Authority and Responsibility in Parenting Adolescents" and “Pacing the Journey to College.”
A presentation as part of the Life Compass Institute speaker series on the topic of “Reclaiming Family Time: Helping You and Your Family Flourish.”

This robust addition to our curriculum would not have been possible without the support that Montrose receives via its annual fund and The Elizabeth Schickel Foundation. Unrestricted gifts to the annual fund provide Montrose with the flexibility in a given school year to be nimble and responsible to the highest needs of our school community. On behalf of all Montrose faculty, staff and students who benefit from this timely support, we extend our appreciation to those who have made the Montrose annual fund a philanthropic priority this year.

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