As the principal of a preK-12 school in remote Eastern Oregon, one of the lessons I’ve learned is this: A school staff that is cared for is a staff that will be ready to take on any obstacle that comes their way.
We all know that stress in the education field is at an all-time high. School administrators must figure out ways to support staff members, so they don’t join the growing number of teachers who have decided to leave the profession.
This nationwide issue is one that I am super passionate about. For that reason, I check out every new article, blog and podcast that comes out about staff wellness. Last year, I also signed up for the inaugural cohort of SHAPE America’s Leading Healthy Schools program, which gave me the chance to work collaboratively with other administrators from across the country who were also passionate about improving the health and wellness of their school community.
With every new learning opportunity, I’m always hoping to find that magic bullet — the one thing that is proven to help staff be the best healthy version of themselves. What I do know is that I must check in on my staff consistently if I want to keep them working with our students in a healthy way.
Staff wellness is not something we can talk about only at our monthly staff meetings, but something that we must cultivate and support daily to create a healthy environment that will trickle down to our students. Staff wellness must be part of the school culture, which includes truly listening to staff and their needs.
Thankfully, I work in a school district that puts staff wellness at the forefront each day. Here are some ideas we have used to help the overall wellness and culture of our school.
Wellness Mondays
We try and keep Mondays as a meeting-free day. Every Monday, we bring in yoga instructors, cross-trainers, fitness instructors, etc., on a rotating schedule to lead staff in 40 minutes of exercise. If a staff member would rather do something different that supports their wellness needs, they do — or they can leave campus to focus on their wellness as soon as the students have left.
Health and Wellness Experts
Bringing in professionals that can teach us about gut health, healthy cooking, Buti yoga, and a variety of other topics related to health and wellness has been extremely helpful. Each year we survey our staff on their interests and needs, and then find someone who is a local expert to teach us about the topic at hand.
It has been great learning how to use our TRX bands, as well as how to put together a good circuit training workout in our staff workout room. We’ve also learned about the benefits of fasting and how vegetables first in our meals can help stabilize our blood sugar. These experts have been very accommodating in helping us with our overall wellness.
Wellness Challenges
About twice a year we have a staff challenge for anyone who wishes to take part. These have included a walking challenge of getting at least 10,000 steps per day for a certain amount of time, a water challenge where we try to drink half our body weight in ounces, and a 30-minute movement challenge. Prizes always get people excited and have included staff clothing, water bottles, and gift certificates for sports watches, massages, skiing, and more. Not only does the challenge winner get a prize, but we also do a random drawing, so every participant has a chance to receive a prize.
Wellness Room
With the help of a few grants, our district created a staff-only wellness room which includes a massage chair, cross-country skis, paddleboards, weights and exercise equipment, along with a variety of other items to support staff wellness. The cost to be a member is $25-$50 a year, a fee that helps offset the cost to fix and upgrade equipment or buy new items.
Whoot Whoot Wagon
This wagon goes around campus on Thursdays and is filled with healthy snacks and drinks. Each staff member may choose one of each, and the items on the wagon rotate. Staff love getting a treat at the end of the week!
Other Wellness Ideas
We are consistently trying to support our staff in meaningful ways and use surveys to find out their needs, wants, and stressors. From there, our Wellness Committee works on ideas to support our staff the best that we can.
We have given out pizzas and a simple game during in-service to each staff member, as well as hired a massage therapist to come on campus for 15-minute massages during a non-student day, paid for by the district. We give out SWAG that focuses on wellness and have a wellness corner in the weekly memo to share videos, breathing techniques, or whatever I can find that may be of some support.
Book studies focused on balance was another success, and this next year we are starting our school year off with a Move to School Day for our students, staff and community. We think it will start our year off on a fun note and include our families, as they normally bring their kids to school on the first day.
We also end each year with the color run, and families and our community really celebrate with us at the end of the year.
Thankfully when I became the principal, I stepped into a positive school culture that the superintendent had created — where taking care of oneself is the most important. My goal has been to support that vision in any way possible and expand on it too.
I am continually looking for ideas to help the overall health and wellness of my staff. I appreciate each and every one of them and want them to support the work they do in this profession. If you have ideas to share, please send them my way. We are all in this together.
Additional Resources
Molly Smith
Molly Smith is the principal of Powder Valley Schools in remote Eastern Oregon, which has 300 students in Pre-K through 12th grade. She just completed her 30th year in education, and the seventh year in her current position. In 2023-2024, Smith was part of the inaugural cohort of SHAPE America’s Leading Healthy Schools program.
