More than 30 guest speakers participated in our first-ever Wellness Day in October, a full day of workshops designed to address various topics that pertained to healthly lifestyles with girls in grades 5-12. The goal of the workshops was to get them thinking about all the ways to be and stay well.
Wellness Day began with a keynote address from Agnes Irwin graduate Anastasia Dorrance ‘03, who spoke to the girls about body image and the perception of themselves at this age. Her opening words: “I am beautiful. I am strong. I am confident. I am worth it.” Dorrance’s remarks resonated with the entire audience, which she captured with ease as she talked about how to truly accept yourself and realize that it is okay to say “no.”
Workshop facilitators engaged the girls in a variety of ways that allowed them to learn about, reflect on and practice being well. There were opportunities for discussion, meditation and play! Some of these workshops included Zumba, cardio-kickboxing, laughter, yoga, nutrition, community service activities, conversations about the importance of sleep, how to manage friendships, how to manage stress and many, many more.
Each student in Upper School had the opportunity to tailor her day based on the options offered for her grade level. Whether they put together bags of dried soup mix for a homeless shelter or listened to someone speak about the integral role of fun in one’s day-to-day life, a sense of happiness and pride was evident among all those who participated. Though each student had a unique day, all of the girls received important messages about taking care of their whole selves.
After the fourth and final workshop, the girls convened in homerooms and advisory groups to complete a wrap-up activity that aligned with our celebration of International Day of the Girl (IDG). Wellness Day and IDG coincided last year, and we asked each group to draw a girl and fill in her body with responses to this question: What do girls need to be well? These posters were collected and then displayed throughout the school to showcase what the girls learned from their workshops.