St. Paul’s School for Girls offers a comprehensive Grade V-XII Health & Wellness program called Discovery as well as comprehensive counseling and health support services.
Our mission is to promote and maintain a healthy school community that balances academic achievement with social, emotional and spiritual growth and development.
Grade VII Life Skills
Grade VII Life Skills is an interactive, trimester-long course designed to increase student knowledge and abilities in skills necessary for everyday living as a healthy adolescent. Each student builds personal and social competency skills through individual and group activities as well as guided class discussions. Topics addressed include body image, understanding self and others, nutrition, friendships, Internet safety, communication skills, media literacy, and substance use prevention. The course is taught by Wendy Sunderlin, school counselor, and is graded pass/fail.
The Christopher O’Neil Peer Education Program
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The Peer Education Program is a health education program founded in 1992 by Tom and Pam O’Neil after the death of their 17-year-old son, Christopher, in a car accident involving a teenage drunk driver. The program is supported in 11 independent schools in the Baltimore region. SPSG has approximately 22 peer educators, who receive training at a faculty-led retreat early in the school year. They are then prepared to enter the classrooms (about seven times during the year) and teach lessons about communication skills, body image, friendship making, and decision making. In addition to the middle-school students, some peer educators are seniors who work with the Grade IX Health Class.
Preparing for Life in the Upper School (PLUS)
Preparing for Life in the Upper School, or PLUS, is a semester-long course that combines health topics and life skills, and is taught by our school counselor. PLUS topics and interactive discussions allow students to build knowledge and skills in order to become confident and empowered upper-school students at SPSG. The curriculum focuses on specific content areas such as conflict resolution, healthy relationships, assertiveness, leadership, body image, goal setting, decision-making, and identity development.
The Discovery Program
The Discovery Program embraces four content areas: substance use prevention; life skills; sexuality education; and emotional and physical health. The Discovery Program covers developmentally appropriate concepts and information. Its goal is to empower students to make healthy decisions with confidence and knowledge. Discovery activities are posted in the school’s monthly Online Newsletter.
Counseling and Health Support Services
SPSG has on staff each day a licensed clinical professional counselor, a chaplain, an associate chaplain, and a registered school nurse.
Short-term counseling and pastoral care is available to all students.
Students can self-refer or be referred by an advisor, teacher, or parent. Support is offered for friendship issues, stress, loss and change, and peer conflict, as well as other adolescent concerns. The SPSG Health & Wellness Departments uses a solution-focused approach, and the counselor or chaplain communicates with the parent as appropriate. The counselor may refer students to resources outside of school in order to meet her psychological, emotional, or social needs.
