News and Events

During this year’s Extended School Year (ESY) program at New Story Schools DuBois, School Counselor Michele Mancione started a group with the students about selfcare. The mission of this group was to teach students that self-care is the actions individuals take to improve their physical, mental, and emotional health.

New Story Schools believes it is important for students to practice self-care for them to maintain healthy relationships with themselves and those around them. Self-care is the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness. Self-care comes in a variety of forms, and it does not require an elaborate plan. Self-care can be as simple as taking deep breaths, taking a bubble bath, going for a run, or listening to music when you notice you are becoming stress or overwhelmed with emotions.

For example, while going over different types of self-care, all the girls in the group identified doing their nails as a common self-care habit they all enjoy. In alignment with the DuBois’ team’s mission to provide fun and innovative ideas to help our students grow and have new experiences, Miss Mancione, Behavior Analyst Jenna Jacobson, and School Director Timothy port, treated these students to a day at the nail salon to put self-care into practice! Most of the students had never experienced going to get their nails done and were excited and grateful for this experience.

Although going to get your nails done is a great way to indulge in this practice, it may not always be possible, so the students also came up with personalized ways to include self-care into their daily lives that are more convenient and work for them. Ultimately, the most crucial lesson taught to the students during the self-care group was that the most important relationship you will have in your entire life is the one that you have with yourself; and engaging in a steady self-care routine is one of the most ideal ways to maintain a great understanding of ourselves on a more profound level.

We’re proud of the lessons our students have been able to take away from this year’s extended school year program, and look forward to providing more great lessons and experiences as we approach the upcoming school year.