As the Wellness Center navigates through the new school year, it has had to adapt to the changes brought on not only by distance learning, but by the retirement of its previous adviser, Sandy Davis. 

Davis, who founded the Wellness Center in 2018, retired this summer after 18 years at Diamond Bar High School. Taking her place as the new adviser is athletics director and peer counseling instructor Albert Lim. 

Lim said that his involvement in sports helps him advise both classes, as it has familiarized him with the “adapt and overcome” way of thinking.

“The biggest change for the Wellness Center has to do with distance learning,” Lim said via email. “As a result of distance learning, students are not able to counsel their peers virtually because of lack of supervision by a licensed-certified staff.”

According to Lim, the Wellness Center has shifted its attention from consulting students in one-on-one sessions to working on projects, such as virtual events, that will leave a lasting impact on an individual’s well-being. In order to compensate for the lack of face-to-face interaction, the wellness staff is planning a virtual wellness outreach program for DBHS students, although it’s still in the developmental stage. 

Senior wellness consultant Cassidy Apolo said that Davis was very consistent and punctual when it came to the Wellness Center and coordinating its events. Since her retirement, the absence of these qualities has been a duly noted, especially with classes being online this year.

“Mrs. Davis was on top of schedule and the pacing of our preparation for our events,” Apolo said via Instagram. “But we are communicating much more closely and directly with the [Social-Emotional Learning] committee and Mr. Lim our current advisor.”

Due to the school’s abrupt end in March, the Wellness Center did not have time to conduct interviews or train new staff members, so new consultants were not picked for the 2020-2021 school year.

“Even if we elected new consultants, they would not be able to consult,” Apolo said via Google Docs. “At this moment, we can not counsel one on one. The wellness loop was specifically designed for face to face services.”

Although the Wellness Center can no longer host one-on-one peer counseling sessions, they have been planning virtual events in an attempt to improve the well-being of other DBHS students. According to senior wellness consultant AJ Cembrano, they have been brainstorming ideas to stay invested in students’ well-being, such as holding mental health polls on their Instagram and creating an outlet where people can ask consultants questions.

“There’s been a lot of ideas circling around but hopefully we find well that works well with the students,” Cembrano said via Instagram

 In addition, senior wellness consultant Jacquelyn Tsui mentioned that the Wellness Center is coordinating events related to exercise, communicating with teachers and proper sleeping habits. Although these events aren’t set in stone, the staff hopes that it will leave a positive impact on DBHS students’ well-being.

“To demonstrate our appreciation and sincerity for our program Wellness Consultants are to focus on maintaining our current quality of service,” Tsui said via Instagram. “During this difficult time, wellness hopes to emphasis the message that ‘you are not alone!’”