CVHS students will receive regular lessons on emotional intelligence skills through the advisory period using the program RULER from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. RULER was developed by Dr. Marc Brackett as a way to teach students skills toward recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating their emotions. According to their website, the RULER “approach gives a unique depth and consistency to social and emotional learning that empowers school leaders and teachers to create a genuinely safe space for students to learn and grow.”

At CVHS, we plan to reinforce these skills through regular lessons every two weeks. The 30 minute lessons will occur on Tuesdays during the homeroom or advisory period.  There are different lessons for each grade level, and students will progress in their social emotional learning over the high school years.  Students will collaborate to create class charters detailing the type of environment they want to experience at CVHS, exploring the various emotions they encounter throughout the day, and discover a variety of strategies for managing their emotions. It is our belief that providing students with these opportunities will improve school climate, student achievement, and overall morale. Research on the RULER program has also found that the program can lead to reduced anxiety and depression amongst students, lower bullying behavior, and improve student relationships with adults, leadership skills, and attention.

You can access the RULER website here.

A brochure with more information about the program can be found here.