Students at John Marshall High School Shape the Future of
Teen Mental Health Through Mindfulness
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BACKGROUND
70% of teens report depression and anxiety are
major problems in their life, yet only 35% report
knowing how to cope with it. Stress negatively
impacts their lives, friendships, school performance,
relationships with family members, and their longterm success.
Thanks to a grant from LG Electronics USA, students
at John Marshall High School in Los Angeles,
California are utilizing daily mindfulness with Inner
Explorer as a preventative mental health measure.
Initially introduced by Educator Elena Kelly, students
started practicing mindfulness with Inner Explorer at
the beginning of each school day. Over time, their
daily practice in the classroom inspired a larger
mental health initiative among students.
Using mindfulness as the foundation, students
created the Wellness Advisory – a student-led
organization that uses the LG Electronics Six
Sustainable Happiness skills to improve the mental
health and well-being of the school community.
"Success in school is linked to greater opportunities in
life. One of the most effective practices used to lead
children towards their highest potential by bolstering
academic performance, creativity, social and emotional
aptitude, and well-being is mindfulness," shares Inner
Explorer Chief Strategy Officer Lisa Grady.
91%
Of students at John
Marshall High School
selected "yes" when
asked if they would like
to continue practicing
daily mindfulness with
Inner Explorer.
Mindfulness is foundational to the other five skills,
which include Human Connection, Gratitude, Positive
Outlook, Purpose, and Generosity; these are researchbacked skills that can be taught, learned, and
practiced to improve happiness and well-being, as
defined by the LG Experience Happiness initiative.
Mindfulness
Human Connection
Gratitude
Positive Outlook
Purpose
Generosity
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“The Wellness Advisory has become part of the fabric of this school; [the student members] change hearts and minds on
campus. They say things like 'Hey, you should try a moment of mindfulness,' or 'Are you having a hard day? How is your
breathing?' Without them, these types of interactions wouldn’t be happening.”
-Mark Roeder, English and Math Teacher
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DISTRICT-WIDE SUCCESS
The Wellness Advisory initiatives center around creating
an open, inviting, and inclusive community. A few of their
projects to date include:
- Dedicated Wellness Room: A safe space for
students to practice mindfulness and hold Advisory
meetings, which all begin with an Inner Explorer
practice.
- "Say Hey" Days: Dedicated school days where
students and staff are encouraged to greet people
they have never talked to before or eat lunch with
them to build community and prevent social
isolation.
- "You Have a Friend" Effort: Students wrote letters
to the elderly who were isolated during the pandemic
to connect and cheer them up.
The Wellness Advisory has been so successful that Los
Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) implemented
a similar concept in other schools.
Additionally, following the success that mindfulness
continues to have at John Marshall, the district signed
up to provide Inner Explorer in every school. Inner
Explorer now serves all 1,100 schools that are part
of LAUSD.
WHAT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY
Students offer their perspective on the Wellness
Advisory and how the Six Sustainable Happiness
Skills make a positive impact on their mental
health and well-being.
Mindfulness
“I have anxiety and ADHD – I feel
anxious all the time. By doing
mindfulness, I’m able to center myself.”
Human Connection
“It has been a beautiful experience to
be a founding member of the
Wellness Advisory because people
from all different interests are coming
together to make one big community.”
Gratitude
"When I practice the Six Sustainable
Happiness Skills, I feel like I am able
to appreciate life more."
Positive Outlook
"Seeing the Wellness Advisory
members on campus is a boost
of happiness."
Purpose
"We want to be role models. When
you see other students practicing
[mindfulness], you want to learn
from them and experience it too."
Generosity
"The Wellness Advisory is a place
where we can help ourselves and then
learn how we can better help others."
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Did You Know?
A portion of the most recent COVID-19 Relief Funding can be used towards Mindfulness-Based
Social Emotional Learning programs, such as Inner Explorer. Learn more here.
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MBSEL AND ACADEMICS
In addition to mental health benefits, mindfulness is
linked to improved academics. Results from a landmark
meta-analysis that looked across 213 studies involving
over 270,000 students found that SEL interventions that
address the five core competencies increased academic
performance by 11 percentile points, compared to
students who did not participate.
The five core competencies, as defined by the
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional
Learning (CASEL), are self-awareness, self-management,
responsible decision making, relationship skills, and
social awareness.
Inner Explorer is a CASEL-approved Mindfulness-Based
Social Emotional Learning (MBSEL) program; it
cultivates the core competencies by using daily
mindfulness as the foundation.
With just 5-10 minutes of daily practice, MBSEL reduces
fight or flight reactivity and stress, while improving
higher-order thinking and learning. As a result, schools
and districts often report improved academics with the
use of the Inner Explorer program.
At John Marshall, the number of students who
exceeded expectations in English Language Arts and
Math both increased significantly between the 2017-
2018 school year when the Wellness Advisory was
started and the following 2018-2019 school year.
15%
Increase in the number of
students who exceeded
expectations in English
Language Arts from the
2017-2018 school year to the
2018-2019 school year.
Increase in the number of
students who exceeded
expectations in Math from
the 2017-2018 school year to
the 2018-2019 school year.
19%
Learn more about Inner Explorer MBSEL programs
by visiting InnerExplorer.org. If your district is
interested in implementing our program, contact
us at info@innerexplorer.org.
Inner Explorer, Be Strong, the Collaborative for
Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL),
Discovery Education, and the Greater Good Science
Center are partners in bringing happiness to 5.5
million teens in the United States as part of the LG
Electronics USA Experience Happiness Initiative.
We invite you to learn more about our partners by
visiting their websites linked below.
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