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FMZEN’s Big Read highlights student stress and community dialogue as facilitator announces retirement
Summary
FM High School counselor Dana Pierce outlined the decade-long FMZEN effort and the district’s Big Read program, saying Never Enough focused community conversations on toxic achievement culture and student well‑being; Pierce said she will retire at the end of the school year and named co‑facilitators to continue the work.
Dana Pierce, counselor at Fayetteville-Manlius (FM) High School, told the Board of Education that the FMZEN faculty group and the district’s community Big Read program have provided sustained, research‑informed forums for discussing student anxiety and wellbeing.
Pierce summarized FMZEN’s origins and activities, saying the group “use[s] education, conversation, collaboration, and action” to address issues such as resilience, stress, mindfulness and the effects of smartphones. She described Big Read events as a “shared experience” that brings parents, guardians, educators and students together for guided, small‑group conversations based on a chosen text.
The most recent district Big Read centered on Never Enough by Jennifer Wallace, a book Pierce said examines how a narrow, achievement‑focused definition of success can fuel anxiety, depression and burnout. Pierce cited results from the district’s 2024 parent climate survey showing concern about “overwhelming pressure and stress” caused by standards and academic rigor, and she said district survey responses closely matched national findings Wallace reports from a 6,000‑parent sample.
Pierce described how FMZEN and the Big Read team solicit community input via pre‑event welcome surveys, run kickoff events and small‑group sessions, and publish kickoff recordings, resources and action ideas on a dedicated Big Read website. She said the program also collects exit surveys and uses student feedback; teachers shared student comments during the kickoff that Pierce said underscored the program’s relevance. The Big Read’s community finale included a keynote and panel, which Pierce said drew roughly 60 in‑person attendees and about 70 online viewers.
Pierce told the board she will retire at the end of the school year and named Mary Halloran and Denise Manns as co‑facilitators who will continue FMZEN and future Big Read work. Board members thanked Pierce for her leadership, called the initiative a durable community resource and recognized roughly 40 staff members who have participated across the years.
The presentation included materials distributed to board members and a poster summarizing seven “ways to show others they matter,” which Pierce said the group used to build actionable items for families and schools.
Why this matters: FMZEN and the Big Read are district‑led mechanisms that translate research and community input into structured conversations and action ideas about student mental health. Officials said the program supports the district’s priority on school environment and social‑emotional learning, and that it will continue under new facilitators.
