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Dr. Michele Kielty, a nationally recognized Mindfulness Consultant and Facilitator for Schools and Organizations presented a “Mindfulness for Rejuvenation and Resilience for K-12” session for Prince Edward County Public Schools (PECPS) teachers, administrators and staff in the Prince Edward High School auditorium at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10.

“In an age of COVID, children have suffered from the loss of loved ones as well as having been engaged in virtual learning often without the home resources to access the internet. Also, after having to learn to provide virtual instruction without adequate time for training, teachers and other school personnel have been further stressed by trying to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of their students in a highly divisive and politicized educational environment. Mindfulness offers strategies to deal with stress in productive ways and provides students, teachers and school staff with ways to heal and reduce stress by focusing on breathing techniques as well as engaging in deep listening exercises that focus on intentionality,” a release from PECPS noted.

Dr. Kielty provided participants with researched-based information.

Sponsored by the James Madison University’s Office of Outreach and Inclusion and Prince Edward County Administration, Dr. Kielty allowed time for participants to share their own thoughts and feelings as well as opportunities to explore some focusing and breathing techniques that they might try themselves or share with students.

This session proposed by Dr. Chapman Hood Frazier, a JMU Professor in Residence for PECPS, was supported and facilitated by Assistant Superintendent for PECPS Dr. Michelle Wallace.