Social Emotional Learning

Our Purpose

In order to deliver on our mission - Success for Every Student - we recognize that our work does not begin or end during students’ years at Stevenson High School. We strive to cultivate an environment where our students are able to flourish throughout their high school journey and give them the skills to continue their success well beyond graduation.  

This is why social emotional learning (SEL) is integral to who we are. SEL is more than a process, a methodology, a curriculum — it is a way of life. In the school setting, SEL is an approach to learning whereby students better appreciate and manage stress, learn to cope with the rigors of adolescence and maximize their chances for success. Faculty learn how to best create the safest, healthiest educational environment, an environment that promotes happiness for all.

Students and staff with healthy identities, those who are capable of managing emotions and who can feel and display empathy, are, without doubt, best equipped for school success and most importantly life success beyond.

Through all of our initiatives to foster social emotional learning, we hold ourselves accountable to the following mission, vision and commitments.

Mission

To create a positive social environment throughout the community of Stevenson High School by advancing students’ social emotional learning and development.

Vision

At SHS, we educate all students with a design dedicated to managing stress, maximizing health and creating lifelong learners who are caring, responsible, engaged and work together to access their emotional intelligence and reach their full potential.

Commitments

SHS Students will commit to self:

• Pursue a balanced high school experience.
• Foster responsible, healthy and ethical decision-making skills.
• Develop a sense of resilience and self-awareness.
• Demonstrate self-empowered and life-ready skills.

SHS Students will commit to others:

• Celebrate, honor, and respect diverse people and perspectives.
• Develop a sense of empathy for those around them.
• Serve local, national, and global communities.
• Engage in civic duties and responsibilities.

SHS Students will commit to learning:

• Strive for continuous improvement.
• Foster a curious, creative and innovative mind.
• Sustain a growth mindset when facing new challenges.
• Develop problem-solving and reflective skills.
• Collaborate and learn from and with others.

Student Initiatives

Conversations, as a tool, are an underutilized and yet critical component of establishing relationships and building a sense of belonging and community in society. This has become even more important as many adolescents must learn to establish relationships and a sense of community in this digital age of social media and technology. Intentionally helping students learn how to communicate accurately and meaningfully is vital in developing their social-emotional learning skills.

We are actively engaging our students by providing tools, education and space for developing important social emotional skills. Our conversations are grounded in establishing a sense of belonging and community by establishing and building  relationships with our peers, faculty and staff. Our key initiatives include:

CASEL (The Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning)

There are five interrelated sets of cognitive, affective and behavioral competencies. The definitions of the five competency clusters for students are:

• Self-awareness

The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism.

• Self-management

The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward achieving personal and academic goals.

• Social awareness

The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

• Relationship skills

The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed.

• Responsible decision-making

The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.
 

Faculty and Staff Initiatives

Faculty and Staff Residency Program

Cadre work focused on creating a culture of wellness through the development of our social emotional learning practices in our classrooms. Through this work, we help students learn to manage stress and maximize their health by engaging them in the development of their social skills and helping them to access their emotional intelligence.

Academic Teams

Opportunities for faculty to explore students' responses to questions about relationships, safety and belonging. Student voice data captures their students’ perspectives through their classroom learning experiences. Discussions within academic teams provide a chance to dig deeper into the conversation around developing SEL strategies in teachers' classroom, instruction and assessment practices.

Faculty and Staff Advisory Board

A collaborative group responsible for developing, assessing and recommending SEL goals and concepts. We continue to remain focused on the vision that at Stevenson High School, we educate all students with a design dedicated to managing stress, maximizing health and creating lifelong learners who are caring, responsible, engaged and work together to access their emotional intelligence and reach their full potential.

Events

Wellness Week

During Wellness Week, Peer Helpers organize this annual Stevenson mega-event with a week's worth of fun activities focused on our pillars of wellness: mindset, sleep, nutrition and movement. Wellness Week runs on a Monday through Friday with all activities during the lunch hours to take place in the Student Lounge next to the College Career Center. 

Get Involved

Our entire Stevenson community — students, families, faculty and staff — are essential partners in this work. We invite you to be part of the conversation by subscribing to our Daily Digest and Minuteman newsletters where we will share key dates/events, new initiatives and family education.

You may also contact Dr. Laurie Feinzimer, director of social emotional learning with any questions or if you would like to learn more about our SEL work.