On August 15, mental health specialist Sheila Ebbrecht and teacher Dawn Ramsey presented Mindfulness for Success: Learning How Yoga Helps Us Feel Calm in the Classroom to a panel formed by the Columbus Medical Association Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council. After the presentation, local high school students who serve on the council participated in mindfulness exercises to determine if the proposal would be beneficial to other students. Through their deliberations, students elected to fund the grant to benefit Westerville youth.
With this grant, the Youth Yoga Project, a local nonprofit organization, will present 12 lessons to Ramsey’s fourth grade classroom and in a resource room at Huber Ridge Elementary School, as well as provide the materials and professional development to ensure program sustainability. Ebbrecht and Ramsey are excited to share relaxation, mindfulness and energizing techniques with their students. Through this research-based practice, they are confident it will have a positive impact on their students’ social and emotional wellness, in addition to their academic success.