With the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, Rancho Cucamonga High School introduced a new location for the Wellness Center, which is an innovative and all-around therapeutic place where students and staff can take a moment to calm and regulate themselves from all the stressors of daily life.
Taking up the old disciplinary office located on the lower level of the administration building, the Wellness Center provides students with someone to talk to, snacks, and a chance for students to take a second to recollect and regulate themselves. The Wellness Center is staffed by two intervention specialists, and this service is available to any student who may need it.
If a student thinks they need something more serious, such as therapy, the Wellness Center can help them find what they need.
“I went here for high school, so like I was a student at one point too,” Ms. Arianna Santoyo, one of the intervention specialists in the Wellness Center, said. “[The Wellness Center] can be used as a space to decompress, to destress, and to relax. Sometimes school and life gets hectic and they need a space to chill for a minute.”
Recent studies have underscored the pivotal role of prioritizing mental health in challenging academic achievements among students. Wellness centers across the nation have noticed a remarkable positive impact on student success. By nurturing their mental well-being, students reported improved concentration, enhanced focus, and better cognitive focus, ultimately transforming into higher academic outcomes.
“It definitely affects me positively,” senior Jazz Montgomery said. “My life right now is very hectic and crazy and it helps me calm down. Today I used it when I was overwhelmed with an emotional essay that I had to write in my class, and it was too loud in my class, so I was able to get a pass to the Wellness Center.”
Incorporating the Wellness Center at RCHS offers a multifaceted approach to student well-being. The utilization of the Wellness Center underscores the school’s commitment to nurturing not only students’ educational growth but also their overall health, preparing them for success in both their scholastic and personal endeavors.
