GRAFTON — The Grafton High School Wellness Committee, in partnership with local organizations and businesses, hosted its annual Wellness Week for students and staff during the week of Feb. 9. Throughout the week, each day highlighted a different dimension of wellbeing, including gratitude and self-love, mental health awareness, stress management through creative arts, physical and nutritional health and school and community support.
Students had the opportunity to connect with a wide range of local agencies and community resources to learn more about the services available to them. Participating partners included Advocates of Ozaukee, Chartwells Food Service, Concordia University’s Compassion Care Dog Program, Form & Fitness, the GHS Advanced Foods Restaurant Management Capstone Course, the GHS Raise Your Voice Club, the GHS Student Services Team, the GHS Yoga Club, Kacmarcik Center for Human Performance, Moose River Goldens Therapy Dogs, NAMI Ozaukee County, Sirona Recovery and the USS Liberty Memorial Public Library.
In addition to visiting community partners, students participated in a variety of interactive activities. These included an all-school community art project led by GHS art teacher Taylor Stohmenger, wellness-focused Black Hawk Time sessions facilitated by teachers, face painting by a GHS student, yard games during lunch periods and inflatable bounce houses and obstacle courses.
“Highlighting different dimensions of wellness throughout the week is a powerful way to reinforce the importance of mental health and self-care,” said Greg Johnson, director of School Counseling. “By focusing each day on a specific area of well-being, students are encouraged to make small, realistic changes that can have a lasting impact. Making them aware of both school and community resources hopefully helps students feel supported and confident in reaching out for help when needed. Our intent of Wellness Week is to equip students with strategies that they can continue to use long after the week has concluded.”
The Grafton High School Wellness Committee consists of school administrators, school counselors, school psychologists, teachers and students who collaborate to plan and implement the week’s events. Wellness Week was made possible through funding from the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County Empowering Minds Grant.
