Our School
Center for Engagement

Health & Wellness

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  • Realizing Our Best Selves

    And connecting positively with the world around us
The Character Education and Health and Wellness programs at Steward are designed to empower our community members to develop the knowledge and skills needed to engage in health-enhancing behaviors throughout their lives. Our school-wide curriculum is skills-based and focuses on various dimensions of wellness. Together, these dimensions and others form a framework that guides community members toward a holistic understanding of personal well-being.
As the Steward community engages in Character Education and Health and Wellness classes, initiatives, and programs, we collectively build a toolkit of skills related to resilience, self-awareness, empathy, and informed decision-making. The ultimate goal of these programs is to help Spartans realize their best selves and contribute positively to the world around them.

Health & Wellness Initiatives at Steward

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  • Lower School

    Self in Relation to Others
    • Students in JK-5 receive Character Education classes taught once per octo throughout the school year by our Center for Engagement team (health and wellness, 2 marking periods; school counselor, 1 marking period; and service learning with community and belonging collaboration, 1 marking period).
    • Character Education classes use the evidence-based CASEL framework competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.  
    • Classes include a mix of children’s literature and engaging activities, including games, crafts, and mindfulness.
    • Students also benefit from related lessons in regular classroom instruction that utilize components of the Lower School Honor Code and Restorative Practices.

  • Middle and Upper School

    Self-Reflection and Growth
    • Students participate in health and wellness seminar classes in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and tenth grades.
    • Middle School students meet six times per octo for five octos throughout the school year; Upper School students meet for class four times per octo for one marking period.
    • In each grade, classes focus on topics in ways that are skills-based, developmentally appropriate, and geared toward helping students gain knowledge that will help them make positive and accurately informed decisions about their personal well-being.
    • Tenth grade health and wellness includes the teen Mental Health First Aid Curriculum (tMHFA) and culminates with a certification for each student.
    • Health and wellness seminar topics include social/emotional development, mental health awareness, nutrition and healthy habits, substance awareness, stress management and self-care, reproductive health, and collaborative lessons with the Bryan Innovation Lab and MS/US library.

  • Faculty and Staff

    • Annual fall and spring community building activities, from attending Richmond Squirrels games to cooking meals for houseless veterans 
    • Ongoing interest groups, led by Steward faculty/staff, to encourage the development of new hobbies and friendships
    • Birthday coupons for free lunch and bonus jeans day
    • Lunch or salad bar meal plan options
    • Free lunch once per week
    • Annual holiday party
    • Free use of on-campus fitness facilities
    • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
    • Financial wellness education
    • Health and dental insurance, life insurance, and long-term and short-term disability coverage offered
    • Flexible spending account option
    • Paid leave and vacation policy
    • Retirement plan
    • Tuition remission
    • AfterSchool care provided at no fee
    • Professional development grants

  • Parents

    • Twice yearly parent speaker on relevant, current topics such as youth mental health, substance awareness and use prevention, and online safety
    • A wide variety of ways to get involved on campus and build community with fellow parents, from joining the Parents Association to attending SpartaFest to planning the annual Gala to volunteering for Rise Against Hunger

Health & Wellness News

    • Woman smiling next to two children putting their feet together

Quick Links

Prioritizing Wellness for Every Age
Read our strategic plan, Compass 2028, to learn about programming designed to optimize the whole-person experience for our students, faculty, and staff.

Questions? Contact Us

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  • Photo of Catherine Graves

    Catherine Graves 

    Health and Wellness Coordinator

The Steward School

11600 Gayton Road, Richmond, Virginia 23238-3423
804.740.3394 | info@stewardschool.org
Inspire the future.
Copyright 2026 The Steward School