Health: Curriculum

Health education at Saint Ann’s is comprehensive and inclusive in scope, covering a broad range of topics related to physical and emotional well-being in a developmentally appropriate manner.

In addition to being a place for students to consider their own growth and development, health also strives to create space for students to think critically about navigating the larger world and the messages they receive from it. Students become equipped with the tools they need to adopt and maintain positive lifestyle choices.

While many conversations occur in the classroom, health teachers (under the Student Support department) are also available for individual or small group discussions. Furthermore, health teachers run the Health Education Center on the School’s 5th floor, where students can come to read a book, find health-related materials, decompress, or simply ask a question.

Lower Middle School
Students participate in workshops covering topics including growing up, personal body safety, puberty, and handling emotions.

Upper Middle School
Core topics include puberty, the immune system and staying healthy, mental health and wellbeing, neurodiversity, gender and sexual orientations, social pressure, and sexuality.

Eighth graders work with high school mentors once a month during their health classes. They also receive allergy awareness instruction and EpiPen training from our nurses.  

High School
Students in 9th-11th grade take health for one semester each in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades, and students in any grade may take a health elective which focuses on current social issues. Core topics in our curriculum include substances, health literacy, mental health, sexuality, athletics, disordered eating, and bystander intervention.

Ninth grade students obtain training in hands-only CPR from our nurses.

Tenth grade students have the opportunity to become certified in teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) through the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

Eleventh and 12th graders can participate in our peer mentoring program. Mentors run monthly sessions for 8th graders, plan and co-facilitate Middle School GUST alongside 6th, 7th and 8th grade partners, and they have the opportunity to participate in the Middle School Community Meeting program.  

Health education at Saint Ann’s strives to be accessible and engaging, focusing on real-world applications rather than only information acquisition. We believe that health education should provide students with the knowledge and practical skills needed to navigate life’s challenges and promote young people’s overall well-being. We maintain a holistic view of health that considers social and structural factors alongside individual behaviors. By fostering critical thinking and providing identity-affirming education, we aim to empower students to make informed decisions and then embrace and sustain healthy habits for both present well-being and long-term health.

From Lower Middle School workshops on navigating increasing independence to High School discussions on mental health and social justice, our program aims to meet students at many different stages of their school experience.