The committee’s work started with a needs assessment in the form of an anonymous faculty and staff survey. The committee created the questions, administered the survey, and analyzed the results. This was a great starting point for the committee to determine the climate of faculty and staff wellness on campus and to further determine what the committee could provide to enhance school culture. The focus of the committee was to take care of the people who were taking care of our students. Also, it is no secret that happy, healthy, and connected faculty and staff members accomplish more than those lacking these qualities.
The survey revealed a desire for faculty and staff to have more opportunities to come together in different physical activities on campus, as well as increased access to the fitness equipment and facilities that were currently used primarily by students. The committee brainstormed and came up with an extensive list of weekly offerings our school could provide to all employees at no cost to them. Using the school’s facilities and our Wellness Committee members as leaders of the activities, we could provide a different wellness opportunity each day of the week throughout the school year.
At the committee’s seven-month mark, the head was so pleased with the committee’s progress that he felt confident in passing off leadership to a committee member who could dedicate the time and effort to its continued growth. This is where I came in — I was appointed the school’s employee wellness coordinator. As a passionate health educator for Berkeley’s Upper Division, I jumped at the opportunity to step in and lead this 25-member group dedicated to improving the quality of life of all employees of Berkeley Preparatory School.
A Schedule of Wellness Activities
My first order of business was to establish a schedule of wellness offerings that addressed, and had the potential to impact, three dimensions of health: physical, mental/emotional, and social. Subcommittees were formed to discuss what activities we could provide that would improve each dimension. The subcommittees came up with an extensive list of options that we narrowed down through all-committee discussions. We developed and solidified our weekly wellness offering schedule and our monthly special event opportunities. The offerings included yoga, mindfulness, boot camp, personal training, Zumba, and a walking/jogging group.As we rolled out these activities, we didn’t really know what to expect, so the committee was pleasantly surprised to find double-digit attendance at each of the offerings. Right out of the gate, we had roughly 25 percent of our employee population participating. Instantly you could feel the energy on campus and a little extra hop in everyone’s step. People were engaging in activities with their colleagues, feeling good about themselves, and connecting with each other.
As the Wellness Committee continued to buzz along, we devised even more activities to benefit our employee population — activities in the form of monthly wellness adventure activities, from kayaking and mountain biking to rock climbing and pottery. This was an opportunity to further utilize the facilities here at Berkeley. The Wellness Committee used our rock-climbing wall, high ropes course, dance studio, weight-training facility, and the school’s kayaks and mountain bikes (vehicles used in our P.E. program). This allowed us to expose many employees to new activities that could challenge them physically and, at the same time, bring them together in different settings. Spots filled up for these activities minutes after I hit “send” on the all-employee email. As a committee, we felt that we were making a real difference, not only for the employees but also for our school culture as a whole.
Berkeley Be Well 2015
As Berkeley is a growth-mindset school — that is, we continuously look at ways to grow in every facet including school operations, curriculum, and instruction — the natural question the committee asked itself was, “What else can we do, and how can we make an even larger impact?” This was how the game-changing Berkeley Be Well 2015 idea was generated. Berkeley Be Well 2015 was a professional development day during which all 247 employees were required to select and participate in either a single two-hour wellness activity or two one-hour activities. The activities list was one of great variety, ensuring that there was something for everyone. Whether employees wanted to focus on physical health, mental/emotional health, or social health, we had it covered. The activity options included painting, golf, mountain biking, paddleboarding, pottery, mindfulness meditation, walking/jogging, tennis, pickleball, basketball, volleyball, book discussion, high ropes course, bowling, healthy cooking class, yoga, Zumba, hip-hop dance, kayaking, and weight training.The committee created a Berkeley Be Well online registration system where employees could select their activity, and the sign-ups would automatically close out when the maximum number of participants registered. When the registration link went live, employees rushed to their computers to sign up. Within an hour, 100 employees had registered; activities filled up left and right. At this point, our committee knew we were onto something great. As an educator of eight years, I have never seen a professional development day have a greater impact than this one. It was as if our entire employee population hit a giant “recharge” button, leaving each and every employee feeling energized and connected.
Following the Berkeley Be Well day, the committee sent out an all-employee survey to get feedback so we could reflect as a committee. The feedback was remarkable: 99 percent of our employees felt that Berkeley Be Well positively impacted at least one dimension of their health and wellness. It became very clear that this should now become an annual event at Berkeley.
A Wellness Fair: The Icing on the Cake!
In the planning process for Berkeley Be Well 2016, the committee saw an opportunity to do even more for our faculty and staff. Following the morning fitness activities that we had offered the previous year, the Wellness Committee hosted a three-hour wellness fair in the center of campus that was available to all employees. We added this element to the afternoon as an opportunity to connect with health-and-wellness businesses in our community, as well as to provide health services to employees who might otherwise have neglected these preventive checkups.The wellness fair included 29 vendors with a wide variety of services and products, such as health food stores, fitness centers, and medical screenings. Employees were able to sample health foods from local businesses, get a massage, sign up for a week’s free membership at various fitness clubs, and, most important, get an annual checkup right there on campus. The medical screenings provided to employees free of charge included vision, hearing, dermatology, vein screenings, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Seventy-five percent of our employee population took part in one or more screenings. These annual checkups are so vital but are often commonly missed due to busy schedules and lack of time. The fact that 125 members of our 247-employee community had a full-body skin check on that day was amazing and especially important as we live in Florida, where this screening is crucial. The wellness fair was the icing on the cake of our already successful Berkeley Be Well event.
Looking back at what the Wellness Committee has accomplished over these two years, I can’t help but be amazed. The cultural shift and focus to a more active healthy lifestyle is noticeable. In a school with high demands and expectations of its faculty, it is refreshing to work with an administration that genuinely takes care of its employees. It’s very simple: If the administration values and cares for its employees and the employees have opportunities to stay healthy and connected on campus, the result will be more productive, effective, and enthusiastic educators.