Mindfulness in CVSD Schools

 

HCS students

Last year, the Champlain Valley School District announced that Inner Explorer was made available to our schools. Access to Inner Explorer comes at a critical time when supporting the mental health of students and adults in our buildings is a priority. 

This was made possible through a generous donation from Project Hoeppner. Sue and Joe Hoeppner, who established Project Hoeppner, see Inner Explorer as a research-based, school-family-community, plug-n-play solution to support kids. 

“We created Project HOePpnEr in response to our 17-year-old son Paul’s death by suicide. Initially, our goal was to prevent teen suicide by encouraging teens to ask for help. Unfortunately one of the things we realized is that help is hard to find. As we find ourselves further removed from Paul’s death, we realize that preventing teen suicide is more than identifying and addressing the crisis. It’s providing tools, teaching strategies, and creating habits that kids can access their whole lives. We see Inner Explorer as an important part of an overall strategy to promote health and wellness for kids.”

Tony Moulton, CSVD’s Director of Integrated Wellness, has been instrumental in working with Project Hoeppner and Inner Explorer to make this happen. 

“I am excited to have this evidence-based, easy-to-use tool for our students and families. We know that stress and anxiety have increased over the past year. The practice of mindfulness, when offered and applied in a structured, easily accessible format like Inner Explorer, has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. This tool in the hands of our amazing teachers, educators, students, and families can help teach emotional regulation skills and build resilience. We are so grateful to the Hoeppners for this opportunity.”

CVSD schools have started to implement Inner Explorer and incorporate it into routines. Some of our educators using it were featured in a recent Inner Explorer blog post. 

We will share additional information and announcements about Inner Explorer soon as it rolls out to more classrooms and eventually to families for use at home. 

WCS educators

About Inner Explorer
Inner Explorer was developed in 2011 by mindful awareness teachers with more than 30 years of combined experience. Understanding the difficulty in developing a daily practice, Inner Explorer created a technology platform that delivers audio-guided practices to teachers and students. This gives them the opportunity to practice together - reducing stress, improving academic performance, and enhancing the school climate. This unprecedented offering simplifies the implementation of mindfulness in the classroom and supports the national initiative called 2-Generation Approach by bridging the classroom and home. Especially now – Inner Explorer encourages families to join in daily practices with their children, extending the wellbeing benefits into the community. www.InnerExplorer.org One-page Flyer: Why Mindfulness


About Project Hoeppner
Project HOePpnEr is a 501(c)3 organization invested in providing tools, teaching strategies, and practicing habits that kids can access their whole lives. Increasing awareness around the catastrophe that is teen suicide. Offering courage for teens to say "I need help" and for their loved ones to hear.