Hillandale students present Wellness Day and 'Heart of a Husky' behavior program to board

Hillandale Elementary students and staff presented a summary of a recent Wellness Day and the school's ongoing Heart of a Husky positive-behavior program at the Unionville-Chadds Ford board meeting April 21.

Principal intern Jen Callanan described Wellness Day as a community-supported program that involved 14 external partners and 12 staff-run stations. Callanan said activities ranged from yoga and mindfulness to nutrition, nature walks and adaptive activities provided by Chester County services for students with visual impairments.

Student council and Heart of a Husky Fifth-grade student council members Emmy Maples, Max Worth, Penny Grieve and others described how student council runs the Heart of a Husky program. The students explained that staff award "tickets" to students for acts that demonstrate the program values: "be kind, do your best, and show you care." Students place tickets on a board (about 200 slots were described) and the council randomly selects 12 winners for small prizes; staff also distribute monthly postcards to recognize students who go "above and beyond." Max Worth said the program grew from a former P.E. teacher's kindness initiative and now supports social-emotional learning.

Why it matters School staff linked the activities and recognition programs to the district's MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) work, emphasizing both academic interventions and social-behavioral supports. Staff said the Heart of a Husky Club and sensory activities help reinforce character skills such as patience, compassion and responsibility.

Ending Board members praised the students' presentation and the program; administrators said the school will continue to develop activities that support student wellness and behavior.