By Dr. Elena Olsen, Inspire Contributor

In preparation for writing this article about how Eastside Prep cares for the health and well-being of students, I have spent some time reflecting on my experiences of student care during my eighteen years at the school. I had hoped to come up with a specific, particularly vivid example of a time I witnessed or was part of caring for a student or group of students. The problem I’m facing is that I am overwhelmed by the possibilities. The countless hours spent in conversation with other faculty about how to support a particular student (not to mention the conversations with students themselves, and their family members)? The significant thought and effort every faculty member at EPS devotes to social-emotional learning, whether as part of daily classroom practice or our advisory program? Our community-wide commitment to equity, inclusion, and compassionate leadership (EICL) and my own experience as part of the effort to establish affinity groups at EPS? The hundreds of hours during Program Development Days spent learning about new research in adolescent brain development or any number of other wellnessrelated topics, and then planning with colleagues how to implement that learning in our practice? Or any number of examples from my experiences during our Education Beyond the Classroom (EBC) Week programs, during which my colleagues and I tended to everything from carsickness to altitude sickness to homesickness?

I can say this: for all the diversity of needs and wants of the student population at any school, one theme resounded consistently throughout my years at Eastside Prep and continues loud and clear: EPS prioritizes relationship and belonging. In admissions events, in thank-you notes written to teachers and mentors, in conversations with incoming families, as graduating seniors and alumni, EPS students highlight our welcoming community, their relationships with faculty and with each other, and our “intentional . . . kind culture” (in the words of Owen, Class of 2026). Eastside Prep is not perfect, but kindness and relationship comprise a strong bedrock upon which its community continues to learn and build.

Eastside Prep’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan identifies “People” as the first Strategic Priority, and a key aspect of this priority is to: “Research and develop new strategies to support the well-being of students with a focus on belonging, resiliency, and promoting mental, physical, and social emotional health.” Every adult on Eastside Prep’s campus is dedicated to this priority; I had the opportunity to speak with just a few of the staff members who are at the forefront of student wellness: Hye-Won Dandino, Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Compassionate Leadership, Ya Davis, Athletic Trainer, and Krista Kelly, Health Services Coordinator. They spoke about how they see the school extending care for all students, how they support that effort within their role at the school, and their hopes and goals for student wellbeing at Eastside Prep. While their roles differ, a common philosophy runs through their perspectives: caring for students means seeing and supporting the whole person.

Ya Davis, Athletic Trainer

For Ya Davis, student well-being begins with holistic care. While her role includes evaluating injuries, making referrals, and supporting rehabilitation and return-to-play decisions, Davis is clear that her work goes far beyond physical health. She considers the emotional, mental, and environmental factors that shape a student’s experience of injury and recovery. “Being a teenager is challenging,” Davis notes, and navigating adversity in sport can be especially isolating without support. Her goal is to create a space where students feel safe asking questions and voicing concerns. In pre-season meetings, she makes that expectation explicit: “No question is too big or too small. If I can’t answer you, I’ll point you to someone who can.”

Davis emphasizes collaboration as a cornerstone of effective care. She works closely with parents and coaches and regularly loops in teachers, counselors, the school nurse, and staff to ensure that decisions are made with the student’s best interest at the center. This team-based approach reflects Eastside Prep’s broader culture of shared responsibility for student wellness. As Davis observes, care at EPS feels “real and intentional.” That intentionality also shows up in how Davis connects her work to the school’s mission. She describes her approach as grounded in education, transparency, and student agency—what she calls “care through clarity.” By explaining injuries, treatment options, and recovery processes in accessible language, she invites students to participate actively in their own healthcare. This emphasis on understanding and ownership helps students feel informed, respected, and empowered, and supports their growth into confident young adults.

Krista Kelly, Health Services Coordinator

Krista Kelly, Health Services Coordinator and school nurse, echoes many of these themes. For Kelly, student well-being means that students feel “safe, supported, and cared for holistically.” It looks like students who are healthy enough to engage in learning, who feel seen and valued by the adults around them, and who know where to turn when they are struggling. She credits EPS with providing a strong framework for meeting students’ physical, mental, social, and emotional needs, and she sees her role as directly supporting the school’s mission of educating the whole student. Kelly works closely with faculty, staff, counselors, learning support staff, and families to ensure that students’ health needs are understood and accommodated, particularly when medical or mental health concerns affect attendance or learning. By removing barriers to learning and attending to health needs, she helps ensure that students can fully participate in classrooms, extracurricular activities, and experiential learning opportunities like EBC Week.

“Students are recognized as individuals, which enables us to care for them specifically and accordingly.”

Like Davis, Kelly highlights relationships as a central strength of EPS culture. Care for students is extended through close attention, proactive communication, and a shared sense of responsibility among adults on campus. She feels that a “major strength” of EPS culture is that “students are recognized as individuals, which enables us to care for them specifically and accordingly.” Looking ahead, Kelly says simply, “My hope is that we can continue to improve on something that I think we already do pretty well.” She hopes that student well-being remains a shared and lasting priority for the school, with “continued collaboration and resources dedicated to both prevention and support.”

While Davis and Kelly focus primarily on physical health and its intersections with learning and emotional well-being, Hye-Won Dandino approaches student well-being through the lens of identity, belonging, and community. Dandino’s daily work as Director of EICL is focused on “cultivating a school environment where curiosity, empathy, and ethical decision-making are practiced daily.” Dandino works to create environments where students can show up as their authentic selves—where their identities, backgrounds, and lived experiences are genuinely valued. “Ultimately, my work centers on strengthening the relationships and structures that help every student feel supported, understood, and empowered.”

“Through a commitment to continued learning, taking risks, and knowing our students, EPS can create classrooms that not only say ‘you may enter,’ but also ‘you belong here.’”

Hye-Won Dandino, Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Compassionate Leadership

Dandino collaborates closely with teachers, advisors, counselors, and student support teams to ensure that students’ social and cultural needs are understood and addressed. She also helps curate shared learning experiences, such as Voices in Action Day in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that expand students’ perspectives and strengthen their capacity for empathy and connection. For Dandino, student well-being means feeling safe, valued, and emotionally supported, without pressure to hide parts of who they are. When students trust that adults will respond with care, they are more willing to take healthy risks, explore ideas, and engage deeply in learning. She emphasizes that when “students feel known and affirmed, their sense of belonging increases, and that belonging is essential to their academic and emotional growth.”

Dandino’s work to ensure that every student feels a true sense of belonging at EPS extends into the curriculum as well.

As part of Eastside Prep’s continuous efforts to make curriculum relevant and inclusive, Dandino and colleagues have begun auditing curriculum to ensure that students encounter a wide range of authors, perspectives, and narratives across subjects. This exposure not only supports academic growth, but also helps students see themselves reflected in what they study and understand their place in a diverse world. In this way, well-being is woven into both the relational and intellectual fabric of student life at Eastside Prep.

Dandino describes EPS as a community where care is tangible and relational. Students are known deeply by teachers, advisors, coaches, and support teams, and that familiarity allows adults to respond quickly and thoughtfully when support is needed. She frequently sees teams come together in collaborative ways that demonstrate to students that they are surrounded by people who believe in them. Looking toward the future, Dandino hopes to expand proactive well-being supports that help students build resilience, communication skills, and self-understanding before challenges arise. Her long-term hope is that every student leaves EPS with confidence in their identity, the skills to build community, and a clear sense of how they can contribute positively to the world.

Taken together, these perspectives paint a clear picture of how Eastside Prep cares for student health and well-being. Whether through physical care, emotional support, inclusive curriculum, or the daily work of building relationships rooted in trust and belonging, the adults at EPS share a deep commitment to seeing students fully and supporting them thoughtfully. In a recent Inspire article about Universal Design for Learning at EPS, Jamie Andrus, Assistant Director of Student Well-Being, wrote about this foundational, daily work of cultivating belonging: “Through a commitment to continued learning, taking risks, and knowing our students, EPS can create classrooms that not only say ‘you may enter,’ but also ‘you belong here.’” The forms of care may vary, but the message students receive is consistent: you are known here, you matter, and you are not alone.