LCUSD lauds collaboration, caring in LCHS Spartan Wellness Center ceremony
School officials and parents joined together to mark the opening the La Cañada High School Wellness Center during a Nov. 6 ribbon-cutting ceremony that recognized efforts by individuals and organizations to create a supportive space on campus for students.
The Spartan Wellness Center has been open since the beginning of the 2019-20 school year, but last week’s ceremony offered an opportunity to formally thank the collective efforts of the La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation (LCFEF), the Spartan Boosters and the LCHS Parent Teacher Student Assn., all of which provided funding and support for the project.
Additionally, educators thanked parent and designer Maria Videla-Juniel, owner of the Art of Room Design, who volunteered to design the space for students.
The vision of a wellness center as a place where students could come to talk or take a quiet moment of reflection has been years in the making and is just one aspect of La Cañada High School’s involvement in Stanford University’s Challenge Success initiative, which aims to help foster well-being among students.
So far this year, students in LCHS’s Peer Support classes, members of the La Cañada Flintridge Community Prevention Council and the school’s Associated Student Body (ASB) have brought the center to life with programs and services that focus on the social-emotional needs of the student body.
LCUSD Board President Brent Kuszyk cut the ceremonial ribbon. LCUSD Supt. Wendy Sinnette and La Cañada High Principal Jim Cartnal welcomed community members and introduced Wellness Center staff members counselor Rachel Zooi, clinician Dr. Eric Smith and wellness office worker Beth Mumper.
