Holy Family School, a Catholic school in Hicksville, recently brought on a new counselor, Brianna Calle. Calle is overseeing a new curriculum for students in nursery school to eighth grade that focuses on healthy living, cultivating friendships, and kindness.
Although Holy Family School has always had an on-staff counselor, Calle was hired in a different capacity to improve the student experience and maintain a strong focus on preventing and dealing with bullying.
“The buzzword has been bullying, kids leaving people out, cliques and groups, so we wanted to proactively approach that,” says principal Maryalice Doherty. “It’s kind of like treat others as you want to be treated, but it’s done in actual lessons.”
Calle started at Holy Family School Sept. 6, teaching lessons on communication, being kind and welcoming to new students, and other topics that work to improve student interaction in creative and interactive ways. One role-playing lesson involves students taking turns acting as bully and victim in order to learn effective ways to deal with bullying and de-escalate a tense situation. Calle, who has a master’s in counseling, also integrates her lessons into the school’s science and health curriculum, focusing on how emotions can affect a person’s health.
“We’re already seeing students who were cliquey not be cliquey anymore,” Doherty says.
Part of Holy Family School’s mission is to create and maintain a Christ-centered learning environment, providing a solid educational foundation that prepares each student spiritually, academically, and socially to accept the challenges of the future. Parents can register their children for school throughout the year.
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Main image: Counselor Brianna Calle (left) joined Holy Family School in September with a strong focus on preventing and dealing with bullying.
Courtesy Holy Family School
