The Middle School of Media, Law, and Fine Arts (18K581) located in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, has worked tirelessly over the last few years to create a school community using social-emotional learning (SEL) and wellness as its keystone. A keystone is commonly known as the central principle or part of a policy, system, etc., on which all else depends. K581 has utilized a three-pronged approach to incorporating these practices within their community.

First, Principal Desiree Hunter’s background in social work has allowed her to center wellness practices throughout the school. Her commitment is to ensure that the school’s environment is one in which every student, teacher, staff member, and community member feels welcomed and seen. The school is warm and inviting, colorful and harmonious, as demonstrated by a congeniality among staff and students.

Next, the partnership between the community-based organization (CBO), University Settlement (US), and the school to provide SEL professional development and wellness activities for the staff has brought these concepts to the forefront and centered them as a guiding principle for all. NYC Public Schools has mandated weekly professional development time on Mondays, and the University Settlement’s social work team has been allotted a monthly time to work with the staff and teachers. Initially, the social work team presented key concepts on SEL Basics, Building Relationships with Students and Families, Diverse Learning Styles, Communications, and Trauma-Informed Practice. As those were embraced, the social work team moved to focusing their time on wellness activities for the staff, giving staff the space to try out self-care practices and deepen their capacity for pouring into themselves, because so often their work is about pouring into others! Some of these wellness activities have been turn-keyed to work within the classrooms. There has been a marked improvement in teacher-student relationships, as everyone is moving and shifting their practice to embracing relational awareness and experiencing increased well-being.

The third leg of this successful practice is the SEL and wellness practices with the students. Community School Director Kayan Soverall and Social Worker Roniquee Marksman have created systems and spaces for students to feel comfortable sharing their needs and learning from each other. First, there are daily SEL check-ins where students can opt to have some one-on-one time with a social worker or social work intern. Next, there are bi-weekly gendered grade-level SEL lunch groups which focus on self-awareness, self-regulation, and interactive skill-building. The social work team has utilized karaoke by deconstructing song lyrics to delve into the SEL skills and competencies. They have also created a version of the Skittles game to focus on successes, challenges, and goals around students’ skill-building. There have also been cooking and nutrition healthy living challenges. Lastly, the school offers an Annual Wellness Day where students are exposed to a variety of wellness activities which range from boxing to martial arts, movement & dance to cooking & nutrition, and yoga to visual arts. Each year, each class is exposed to three of these activities, and over their three years here, they are exposed to nine different activities.

Through the team’s collaboration and strategic approach, they have made these concepts a keystone to their school community. Their concerted work has produced a decrease of over 50% in reportable incidents such as fighting, verbal altercations, and suspensions over the last year. 

If interested in more information, please reach out to Community School Director Kayan Soverall, ksoverall@universitysettlement.org and Social Worker Roniquee Marksman, rmarksman@universitysettlement.org.