Clark University outlines $2 million behavioral-health partnership piloting SEL, app and sensory immersion room in Southbridge schools
Summary
Dr. Nadia Ward of Clark University told the Southbridge School Committee the district is piloting a five‑year, $2,000,000 Health Foundation grant that includes a ninth‑grade SEL curriculum (MAX), the My Peace mobile app for screening and care coordination, and sensory immersion rooms now in use on campus.
Dr. Nadia Ward, a professor at Clark University and a licensed clinical and community psychologist, told the Southbridge School Committee on Nov. 18 that a Clark–Southbridge partnership funded through the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts is piloting a suite of behavioral‑health interventions in the district.
The partnership was funded through the foundation’s Synergy Initiative (round six), a five‑year, $2,000,000 award Clark described as giving “time and space to figure it out.” Ward said the collaboration began with listening to school stakeholders in 2022 and moved into a pilot phase in year two; implementation would begin if the project is awarded on Dec. 15 with a projected January 2026 start.
Ward described three layered interventions. First, the MAX social‑emotional learning curriculum is a tier‑1 program delivered to ninth graders in partnership with the health‑and‑wellness teacher and three Clark undergraduates who co‑teach lessons twice weekly. Ward said MAX focuses on five SEL pillars — self‑awareness, self‑management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision‑making — and includes early college awareness components, including day visits to Clark’s campus for students.
Second, Ward detailed the My Peace mobile application as a “wraparound services” tool available on Chromebooks. The app provides curated, evidence‑based information about anxiety, depression, substance use and other common student concerns; a feelings check‑in; universal screening capacity; a searchable local social‑services directory by ZIP code; digital coping tools; action‑plan coordination; and an analytics dashboard for administrators to monitor trends and progress.
Third, the sensory immersion room — described as a tier‑2/3 intervention — uses customizable virtual environments, lights and scents to help students regulate and return to learning. Ward said counselors reported students felt calmer, classroom removals have dropped in the four weeks since installation and staff found the space improved counseling sessions. She emphasized that the room’s settings are individualized based on sensory assessments.
Ward also said Clark has started a master’s program in school psychology this fall to help address workforce shortages and that some graduate and undergraduate students already work in Southbridge schools. She said the project uses a consecutive‑cohort evaluation model (starting with ninth graders) so the team can compare outcomes over time and across control groups, tracking attendance, disciplinary incidents, promotion rates and academic performance.
Committee members asked whether the interventions are available to all students. Ward said the current pilot starts with incoming ninth graders and follows them year to year, adding the program will expand to additional cohorts in subsequent years as part of the evaluation design. Ward said she expects a final implementation across the high school by the end of the grant period and encouraged committee members to request additional data as the project produces results.
The committee did not take formal action on the partnership at the meeting; Ward said she would return with outcome data as it becomes available.
