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STUDENTS COMBINE CURRICULUM AND THEIR CHILL SPOT
By Robert Ralston

On February 18^th of this year, the new sensory room at Woodland Hills High School was officially opened for student and staff use. The room is affectionately known as The Chill Spot. The Chill Spot has many purposes such as helping students increase sensory development, socialization, motor skills, cognitive development, focus, and calming effects. Perhaps the coolest aspect of The Chill Spot is that the students themselves are helping to maintain it.

 Bob Ralston, the creator of the sensory room, reached out to Jen Delio (Life Skills Lab teacher) with an idea about maintaining the room. He asked Mrs. Delio to include the sensory room into her curriculum. Her students now are responsible for cleaning and organizing the equipment which they will do twice a week as part of their class activities. Some of the chores include vacuuming, wiping tables and chairs, sanitizing, cleaning the glass surfaces, and maintaining the garbage can. These tasks will help the students learn about the different cleaning products and what they are used for, practice safety with the products, follow directives, increase appropriate work behaviors, and help develop team work skills.

After the work is complete, the students have earned a little extra time in The Chill Spot to relax and enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the room. The partnership with the Life Skills Lab and maintaining the sensory room is going to benefit a lot of students for many years to come.

STUDENTS FROM SCHOOL DISTRICTS AROUND THE REGION GATHER AT WOODLAND HILLS HIGH SCHOOL TO DISCUSS IMPORTANT SOCIAL ISSUES.

The third Student Summit empowered high school students from Aliquippa, Avonworth, Belle Vernon, Mt. Lebanon, Shaler, Westmont Hilltop and Woodland Hills to open up about LGBTQ issues, Racial and Social Injustice, Mental Health, Gender Discrimination and Bias, and Lack of Unity. Student leaders guided the discussions, with the remainder of students participating through breakout groups, interactive tools and through open forums.

Each group balanced informational exercises meant to expand the students’ knowledge of the topic with realistic scenarios and examples. Some topics, such as Racial and Social Injustice, drew on current or recent events. Others, such as the LGBTQ discussion, played out realistic scenarios and had the students work through potential responses to adverse situations.

The Mental Health group spent some time providing resources for self care and combating stress, including helpful coping mechanisms such as breathing exercises. The Gender Discrimination and Bias group encouraged open discussion of how to combat stereotypes, and students started sharing examples from their own lives on how they responded when peers reacted negatively to them doing traditionally masculine or traditionally feminine. 

Finally, the Lack of Unity group got active and had students moving around as they answered general questions related to their beliefs. Through their movement, they learned that as different as they might be with some beliefs, they often had similarities with people who they might not expect.

Students rotated through three one hour sessions, giving them a chance to participate and engage in discussions about three separate topics. They also broke for an hour lunch that included a presentation from Woodland Hills alumni Mariya Moseley (Class of 2011), a journalist who specializes in entertainment, culture and social media. She works at ABC News in New York City as a Social Media Associate Producer with an emphasis on international and national stories across multiple platforms. 

Organized by Woodland Hills High School teachers Ms. Erin Wall and Mr. David Brown, this was the third year for the Student Summit. The first was held with just Woodland Hills High School students. Last year, the summit expanded to include multiple school districts but had to be held virtually because of COVID-19. This was the first opportunity for students from multiple districts to interact in person at the summit. 

Throughout the month of February, the Woodland Hills Foundation Alumni Network (WHFAN), in collaboration with Woodland Hills High School and Principal Manns, celebrated Black History Month through a series of Alumni Spotlights, highlighting Black Excellence in Woodland Hills. We salute these alumni and honor all that they have achieved! In case you missed it, check out our WHFAN website below!

Throughout the month of March, we are celebrating the women who once walked the halls of Woodland Hills School District and have gone on to achieve great things!  We honor these women...today and every day in Woodland Hills!

The Woodland Hills Foundation is proud to announce, in conjunction with the Woodland Hills Performing Arts Guild, the 2022 Alumni Cabaret, to be held on Saturday, May 21, 2022, at the Thomas G. Crone Auditorium at Woodland Hills High School. Each year, the Foundation holds this annual event, welcoming back current year graduates as well as alumni from across the years for an evening of fun, entertainment and reminiscing.

The Cabaret is a gathering of alumni from the very successful high school musicals over the past 30 years. For the past 15 years, this fundraiser has grown with more performers and greater attendance. In fact, last year’s event, sponsored by The Kanaan-Yezovich Group of Hefren-Tillotson and The Stein Family Charitable Fund, was by far the most successful Alumni Cabaret to date, welcoming over 210 attendees and 25 performers.

Announcing the 2022 Woodland Hills Alumni Musical Weekend, sponsored by the Woodland Hill Performing Arts Guild and open to all WH Musical Alumni (1982-2022). To register or learn more, click below!