New to campus, Wellness Coordinator Jennifer Kenny-Baum has partnered with Wellness Director Jessica Colvin to launch the Tamalpais Union High School District’s (TUHSD) first Wellness Center. The exact date of the launch has not yet been determined.
Kenny-Baum has taken the position on campus to oversee development within the Redwood community, and Colvin is now overseeing district-wide health and wellness development.
The Wellness Center will be a resource for students to use for individual counseling, preventive, and educational health services.
“[My goal] is to make sure that every kid who walks in the door feels some level of support, and that if kids have a need, there is a way to meet it,” Kenny-Baum said. “Ideally, I want every kid to know what the Wellness Center is. I want them to be informed about what it is.”
Colvin spent the 2014-15 school year observing the district and conducting needs assessments and surveys with students, parents, staff, and community members for each of the three high schools.
According to the 2015 Wellness Center Needs Assessment for Redwood, 979 of 1604 students participated in a survey that asked questions regarding their wellness needs.
The top three perceived needs for the overall student population were academic stress, social challenges, and anxiety, according to the 2015 Wellness Center Needs Assessment results.
The top five service recommendations for the overall student population are a break zone, individual counseling, workshops, an interactive website, and school-wide events, according to the 2015 survey.
“We came to a place where we felt like, ‘Yes, this is something that the students and the community would like,’ and so we went to the Board and we were granted funding for the program,” Colvin said.
Kenny-Baum and Colvin said they are focused on creating a space where students can relax and feel comfortable seeking counseling.
“The number one request from students was what they called a ‘chill space,’” Colvin said. “Students can come in and get a snack—we will have everything from stress relief tea, to cold water and Kind bars—and they don’t necessarily have to share what’s going on, but there will be information available and it will be a safe space.”
According to Kenny-Baum, once the Wellness Center launches, there will be individual counselors present from local agencies who will provide direct counseling to students, including mental health services and reproductive services.
Colvin said the Wellness team is working with an attorney to create seven different contracts, one for each new provider of services to the district. Once these contracts are approved by the Board of Directors, Colvin will be able to begin bringing individuals onto campus.
“It’s going to be this big, exciting program offering a lot of services to students,” Colvin said. “We want to be really inclusive in our decision making.”
Colvin and Kenny-Baum said they saw a need for education about general health, mental health, substance abuse, and reproductive health throughout a student’s four years at Redwood, not just during freshman year when students are required to take Social Issues.
“We aren’t here to judge, but we are here to educate and to help students be as safe as they can be, and they need that information more than just during their freshman year,” Colvin said.
Colvin and Kenny-Baum are focusing on educating and helping the student body to improve health and wellness.
“Imagine once Wellness is all together, what it will be. Right now, we are working in partnership with the counseling office to expand the support services that are already present,” Kenny-Baum said.
Prior to starting at Redwood this fall, Kenny-Baum worked as a Wellness Coordinator at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco for 10 years.
