Psychologically Healthy Workplace - 2007 Best Practice Honoree

Written by Holly Hirst, director
 

On Saturday, March 3, at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC, it was my pleasure and privilege to receive the American Psychological Association’s 2007 Best Practice Award on behalf of Community School. Michi, Cherry, Betsy, Lucia, Dr. Charles Holland (CS founder and current board member), and his wife, Peggy Holland, were there to celebrate this prestigious honor. 
 

“The APA created this national recognition to showcase organizations that have implemented a particularly innovative program or policy that stands out for its facilitation of a psychologically healthy workplace. To recognize the honorees, APA is preparing a special publication…In addition to drawing deserved attention to [our] organization’s achievements, APA’s hope is that this publication will provide helpful strategies that other companies can use to help create their own psychologically healthy workplaces.” (APA)

            After CS won the Virginia 2005 Healthy Workplace Award, Dr. Perrot, of the Virginia APA, nominated our school for the national award because of our practice of involving the entire staff in deciding the community-wide theme for the school year. This practice came about over twenty years ago. It was decided by the staff that by fully integrating a unified theme across the curriculum, and across the age levels that we serve, teachers could more fully integrate the arts into their subject areas, the mission and philosophy of the school would be made visible and tangible, and students would better grasp and retain topics covered in class. 
 

During the academic year, staff members are encouraged to brainstorm ideas for the following year’s theme. Teachers and administrators utilize books, poems, songs, artwork, local and world affairs, and personal and professional experiences to come up with ideas.  At the conclusion of the academic year, the entire staff gathers as a community to share their ideas and to brainstorm how the decided theme can be implemented school-wide.
 

Active employee involvement and the feeling of equality amongst colleagues are benefits that our staff experience as a direct result of this practice. The ability to voice opinions, share ideas, discuss problems, share resources, and celebrate successes creates a forum for employee growth and development. 
 

Despite the vicissitudes of working with children each day, despite the fact that our teaching faculty receives only 65% of the pay rate of their public school counterparts, and despite the hard work and challenge of continually creating child-driven curriculum, our dedicated staff feels that it is a privilege to work with your children and a pleasure to work in a community where they are treated with respect. Just as we treat our students as “whole children,” we recognize that our staff should be treated as “whole adults.”  Because of this, we continue to attract and retain some of the best educators in the Roanoke Valley. This award validates our commitment to creating a healthy environment for all of the members of our community.    

View the APA publication recognizing Community School and the other 2007 award recipients and honorees at www.phwa.org.