Health, Wellness, and Support | Living Our Mission

Holistic Wellness for every stage of your son's Gilman experience.

At Gilman, we strive to support the mind, body, and spirit of every boy. The goal of the Wellness Program—to ensure that students receive the appropriate support to nurture their physical, emotional, and academic well-being—recognizes the essential relationship among these different components of overall student success.

Furthermore, we recognize that the wellness of faculty and staff is integral to the high-quality education, care, and holistic experience, from facilities to programming, that Gilman is able to provide for students.

typically, when we think about school, we think about educating the mind. but we know that supporting the whole child — academic, as well as physical, emotional, and social — best promotes educational learning. the great thing about gilman is that these values are in our mission statement. at gilman, we take a comprehensive approach to holistic well-being and promote a culture of wellness for all members of our community.

Our Approach and Signature Offerings

From our approach to knowing and caring for boys at every stage of their journey through Gilman to our health and wellness facilities to our general social-emotional and academic support offerings and initiatives, health and wellness at Gilman is an integral part of the student experience.

The Advisory Program and Teacher-Coach-Mentor Model (PK-12)

Our Advisors Know Boys

Carefully selected by administrators, advisors serve as the point people for boys and their families throughout their time at Gilman. In the Lower School, homeroom teachers are their students' elementary mentors and advisors. Once a boy moves to the Middle School, he is assigned a specific advisor, and another when he moves to the Upper School.

These individuals are a boy's biggest advocate. Advisors are often the first to identify concerns and lead early implementation of supportive measures and interventions. Interactions reach beyond the transactional — along with handling course scheduling, writing end-year reports that capture each advisee's development in mind, body, and spirit, and holding parent conferences — advisors create peer mentor groups among their advisees, sit with them during daily assembly, and host bi-weekly advisory lunches. No one will know your son better than his advisor.

Ultimately, all of our faculty members serve as mentors to the boys at every opportunity, and each values his or her role in helping boys of promise grow into men of character.

The Teacher-Coach-Mentor Model

Gilman is a school where boys may be learning algebraic equations or Shakespeare in the morning, discussing timely topics at lunch, and practicing zone blitzes or how to throw a lacrosse ball in the afternoon — all with the same adult in each setting. We take great pride in our teacher-coach-mentor model, which allows teachers to connect with the students through activities in and outside the classroom, whether on the athletic field, in advisory groups, in the student publications lab, or on the performance stage.

Gilman's approach is to find excellent teachers who know their subjects and who love teaching boys. Teachers are encouraged to pursue their interests — from writing a grant to start a robotics club to traveling through Italy to explore ancient mosaic techniques — in order to provide enhanced educational experiences for our boys. A mentor's work is never done.

Health and Wellness Curriculum (PK-12)

Dynamic Curriculum for a Changing World

Whether teaching kindergarteners how to wash their hands, seventh graders how to healthily navigate social media, or tenth graders how to handle peer pressure surrounding drugs and alcohol, Gilman's health and wellness curriculum is appropriately tailored for the various physical, social-emotional, and social milestones they will reach.

Lower School Curriculum

In the Lower School, the goal of the health curriculum is to promote personal, family, and community health. By the end of fifth grade, students will have comprehended concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health and have analyzed the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.

Additionally, students will demonstrate the ability to:

Access valid information and services to enhance health.
Use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks in person and online.
Use decision-making skills to enhance health (in-person and online).
Build a toolkit of emotion-regulation strategies for greater self-awareness.
Practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.
Advocate for personal, family, and community health.

Middle School Curriculum

In the Middle School, health and wellness are addressed through advisory conversations, homeroom activities, the assembly program, engaging club options, afternoon athletics, and, more specifically, through the Talk Program.

The Talk curriculum intends to provide a structured program of human values education and a forum to discuss issues related to positive human interaction and constructive community involvement. In all three grades, course objectives include:

Linking the student, the School, and the family in ways that reinforce the importance of mutual respect, open communication, and adult-child understanding.
Enhancing each student's self-concept and his understanding of how he can best relate to the world around him.
Appreciating and affirming the uniqueness of each individual and the diversity of our community.
Developing in each student ethical considerations in his decision-making.

Upper School Curriculum

Health Seminars

Designed to support co-curricular programming, including Health Education and College Counseling, all Upper School students are pre-enrolled in a required (pass/fail) Seminar section that meets during afternoon blocks, once per two-week cycle (twice a month), all year (16 seminars in total). Topics that are covered include:

Managing stress and anxiety (emotional wellness and mental health)
Use of technology and social media
Sleep and nutrition
Healthy relationships
Substance abuse prevention
Human sexuality
Transitioning from high school to college

Character Education for Athletes (9-12)

Because Victory is Nothing Without Values

Each interscholastic athletic team in the Upper School meets weekly for roughly half an hour as part of the Character Education Program. The program's goal is to give students the time and space to consider their values as individuals and team members.

Students have the opportunity to share stories, process successes and failures, journal, and set weekly goals for themselves. Discussion topics or introspective questions may include questions such as:

What does it mean to be a great teammate?
How can one more effectively manage pressure?
How does one's body language impact those around us?
How do we make judgments about others without fully understanding them?
What legacy do we hope to leave behind to future teams?

Peer Education Program (Grade 9)

Key Conversations, Brother to Brother

Peer educators are 11th and 12th grade student role models who facilitate the Freshmen Seminar by sharing their experience and wisdom with ninth graders. Peer educators work in pairs to support a small group of freshmen through discussion on a range of topics from time management to healthy relationships to decisions about alcohol and other drugs.

In addition to meetings with freshmen, peer educators must attend sessions to prepare for Freshman Seminar, plus attendance at mandatory training retreats in August and January. The course is limited to 25 juniors who, if the course fits into their schedule, will also need to submit an application and demonstrate the skills and attitude needed for the program.

Equally important to the lessons themselves are the relationships that develop between the freshmen and their "big brothers" throughout the year in class and beyond.

Health Center

Preventative and Acute Care

The Gilman Health Center — located in the Lumen Center, just inside the double doors that face the Lower School — is open on school days from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is staffed by two registered nurses.

Gilman's school nurses provide care to students and staff who have been injured or present with acute illnesses. Care may involve treating problems within the scope of nursing practice, communication with parents for treatment, or referral to other providers. The school nurses are also responsible for the administration of medication.

In the case of students with special needs — such as allergies, asthma, or seizure disorders — the school nurses work with parents and doctors to develop an emergency plan and disseminate these plans to appropriate personnel. In addition, the school nurses assist students in monitoring chronic health conditions, such as diabetes. The school nurse also works with the school physician to develop treatment and medication administration protocols.

Health Center FAQ and Resources

Athletic Training and Sports Medicine Office

Decades of Expertise

Encouraging the health, fitness, and wellness of our student-athletes is a key element to teaching boys to develop lifelong fitness habits. A core part of Gilman's wellness initiatives, athletic training encompasses the prevention, examination, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic injuries and medical conditions within their scope of athletic training practice.

The history of athletic training and sports medicine at Gilman stretches back over forty years to 1981, when we became the first independent school in Maryland to have a full-time Certified Athletic Trainer (CAT) on its staff. Gilman continued to lead the way when a second CAT was hired in 1998. Today, our trainers continue to ensure that the School adopts current procedures and techniques to safeguard our student-athletes.

The Athletic Training and Sports Medicine Office, working under the Athletics Department, cares for every student throughout the School but primarily works with Middle and Upper School students.

Learn More About Athletic Training and Sports Medicine at Gilman

Gilman Parents Association Wellness Committee

Supporting the mind, body, and spirit of Gilman boys doesn't only happen at school — Gilman parents play an active role in the wellness of their children. The Gilman Parents Association recognizes that while fostering wellness among their children, parents often have questions and seek out resources at school and beyond. The parent-led, volunteer Parents Association Wellness Committee was founded to help with that process.

Goal

The goal of the committee is to help Gilman parents support their sons' health and wellness in a variety of ways and to help connect parents with wellness resources — and with one another.

Events and Activities

The Wellness Committee organizes wellness-related events and activities for parents throughout the year. Some of these programs are informal and ongoing, such as a weekly meet-up to walk around the area near campus. Others take place annually or semi-annually, such as parent speakers and roundtables on topics ranging from mindfulness to nutrition to sleep. The committee also works with the wellness staff at Gilman to support school programming designed for both parents and students.

How to Get Involved

The Parents Association Wellness Committee meets monthly and always welcomes new members. Parents who are interested in getting involved can contact the committee chairs at gilmanpawellness@gmail.com.

Be Well Fest

On Friday afternoon, October 20, 2023, Gilman students, employees, and families gathered at the Middle School blacktop for the Be Well Fest. Thirty-two vendors representing physical wellness, financial wellness, emotional wellness, personal well-being, and social wellness provided helpful information, resources, and engaging interactive activities for all. Upper School student reps from clubs such as the Mindfulness Club, Peer Education, Mental Health Awareness Club, and Alzheimer’s Awareness Club also shared their work and helpful tips. Healthy snacks were provided by the PA Wellness Committee, as well as free smoothies and acai bowls from the LYFE Café Smoothie truck. More than 70 raffle prizes were awarded to participants. We thank all who attended! And a special thank you to the PA Wellness Committee for coordinating the schoolwide event, as well as to all the amazing vendors and volunteers who made this fun-filled day of wellness possible!

View more photos

Academic and Learning Support

Every boy learns differently. And that's okay. Our mission to educate the whole boy in mind, body, and spirit means giving all bright learners the tools and skills they need to succeed in high school and beyond.

Social and Emotional Support

Learn how Gilman's counselors work to support our boys' social and emotional well-being.

Health and Wellness News and Events

See More News from Other Divisions and Departments

Health, Wellness, and Support Leadership and Team

Our team works closely with school leaders, faculty, advisors, coaches, parents, and outside professionals to support the unique needs of each boy during their time at Gilman. With backgrounds in physical and mental health, academic and social-emotional support, and sports medicine and conditioning, our team of dedicated professionals is ready to answer any questions you may have.