Health, Wellness & Community

The freshman year program's primary focus is the transition and adjustment to the Academy by encouraging students to consider what it means to be part of the Lake Forest Academy community. Strategies for a successful transition and adjustment, both academically and socially, are explored. Students review school rules and expectations, centering on Lake Forest Academy's mission statement's four pillars. There is an emphasis placed on study skills, time management, and exam preparation. Students also look at the importance of multiculturalism and pluralism within our diverse student community. They discuss the idea of what makes up identity, and then each student creates a multimedia presentation that expresses what they view as being the most important parts of who they are. Regarding physical health, students receive information about nutrition and exercise, diseases and infections, safety education and disaster survival, first aid, suicide prevention, stress management, substance use prevention, and relationship education. This survey of topics allows students to identify personal strengths and areas of needed growth, which will help them be successful in the LFA community.

The first semester of Sophomore Health, Wellness, and Community takes a strengths-based approach to building community.  Students explore their sense of belonging and how they create belonging for others in the context of our classroom, the LFA community, and beyond.  We then turn to the self-exploration of values as the basis of integrity and priorities. First Semester culminates with topics of study such as communication, cultural identity, empathy, courageous conversations, civil discourse, and ethical decision-making. The second semester in HWC begins with a focus on media literacy covering Fake News, Digital Footprint, Digital Citizenship, the Social Impact of Technology, and Consumer Engagement before moving into our mental health units. HWC students will collaborate and launch a service project, then reflect upon the experience of engaging in the community.

The junior program encourages students to explore individual values, beliefs, perceptions, and interpretations. Class discussions focus on personal experiences and reflections that foster greater connectedness, communication of own perspective, and standing up for beliefs/values/etc. Students explore diversity and multiculturalism and how these concepts relate to who we are as individuals, with an underlying focus on civic responsibility, leadership, and community-building. Students explore positive habits that increase motivation and protect them from vulnerabilities to their mental health during difficult transitions and challenges in life. Students are also introduced to human behavior complexities through topics such as Addiction, Eating Disorders, and Mood Disorders, Suicide Prevention, and discuss the stigma surrounding mental illness. Students examine their fears, values, goals, and priorities through written reflections and class discussions. Periodically, students work with the Office of College Counseling to prepare for College Night in September, the LFA College Workshop in the second semester, ongoing testing options, and commencement of the college search and application process.   

The senior program focuses on the college application process (first semester) and life after LFA (second semester) as we continue with efforts to cultivate mind, body, and spirit. Students continue to explore the integration of personal values and beliefs with personal choice, goal-setting, and goal actualization, emphasizing skills necessary for responsibly managing greater independence. The class also addresses specific issues involving college transition, including time management, academic policies, social pressures, and older adolescents' physical and mental health information. Our purpose is to help students develop the moral and ethical thoughtfulness, nuanced social consciousness, and leadership skills they need before transitioning to college. The senior year culminates with a final project presented to community members to wrap up the high school sojourn.