Students work together to answer how they can create a school space where everyone feels seen, included, and cared for by practicing wellness habits, respectful communication, and shared decision-making. Through Wellness Walkabout Cafés, weekly counselor-led circle check-ins, and a class mural of evidence, they reflect on academic growth, track habits that support mental health and physical well-being, and revise their thinking over time. The learning experience builds responsibility for healthy routines, friendship skills, and advocacy while preparing students to create a commitment wall and share their learning at the Heart of Our Classroom Expo.

Students will practice identifying how wellness habits like movement, healthy eating, breathing, and respectful relationships support mental health, healthy growth, and success at school. They will build communication and collaboration skills through weekly counselor-led circles, shared decision-making about class wellness routines, and planning roles and messages for the Heart of Our Classroom Expo and commitment wall. Students will reflect on their own habits and physical activity levels, use feedback from peers and the counselor to revise entries on the class mural of evidence, and show personal responsibility by choosing actions that help others feel seen, included, and cared for. They will also develop problem-solving skills by designing simple ways to make the classroom and school community more fair, welcoming, and supportive for everyone.

Throughout the project, students will build a class mural of evidence with weekly entries from counselor-led circle shares, including one academic growth moment, one wellness habit, peer stickers, and revised notes that show stronger examples of helping others feel seen and included. Small groups will also create simple planning tools for class wellness routines, booth role cards, and draft message cards to test ideas for the final event. By the end, students will produce a commitment wall of student-written messages about how to help others feel seen, included, and cared for at school. For the Heart of Our Classroom Expo, they will also prepare student-run booth displays and short oral presentations that explain their favorite wellness habit and how their class created a more caring school space.

Begin with a Wellness Walkabout Café where small groups rotate through quick stations for breathing, gratitude, movement, and partner connection, each led with support from the school counselor. After the rotations, students join a circle to share which habit helped them feel calm, included, or cared for, then co-create simple class norms for respectful listening and healthy communication. Close by introducing the question, “How can we create a school space where everyone feels seen, included, and cared for?” and starting the class mural with one academic growth hope and one wellness habit each student wants to practice.

Host a Heart of Our Classroom Expo where families, school staff, and peers rotate through student-run booths featuring the class mural of evidence and the final commitment wall. In mixed teams, students explain one academic growth moment, one wellness habit, and how counselor-led circle check-ins, peer feedback, and mural revisions helped them create a more caring and inclusive school space. Invite the school counselor to co-host a closing circle in which students share their favorite wellness routine and lead guests in adding a message or pledge to the commitment wall. Include simple interactive stations such as breathing, gratitude, and peer-connection prompts so visitors experience the habits students practiced during the project.