ASTORIA — Dominic Lumbera, a fifth grader at Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy, said is favorite school subject is science. His favorite room at the school, however, is the Wellness Center.
A former classroom at Immaculate Conception, the Wellness Center is now a meditation space where Dominic and his classmates can spend quiet time as part of their religion class.
“I like it because it’s quiet, peaceful, and calm,” Dominic said.
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Set in a sunlit room with windows offering views of the Manhattan skyline, the Wellness Center is a popular place at Immaculate Conception, said Principal Keri Wade-Donohue. “Sometimes, the center is double-booked,” she noted.
At the center, the academy’s middle-grade students — grades five through eight — participate in guided meditation sessions. The room is also used for academic counseling sessions and teacher mentorship programs because of the calm atmosphere the space provides, Wade-Donohue explained.
The center is also available for teachers on an individual basis if they need a few minutes of quiet time to de-stress during a hectic day.
In the future, the Wellness Center may host yoga, nutrition classes, and anti-bullying workshops for parents.
The Wellness Center opened in 2021 to help students cope with anxiety following the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, it became underutilized until Wade-Donohue rededicated it for its current purpose last year.
“It kind of fell out of use, unfortunately. So last year, we made a concerted effort to schedule counseling in there, to schedule teacher mentorship programs in there, and of course, to have meditation in there,” she said.
Religion teacher Bryan Lewis conducts sessions in Ignatian Contemplation, a guided meditation inspired by Saint Ignatius Loyola that incorporates Scripture readings and breathing exercises.
On the day The Tablet visited, Lewis sat with the fifth-grade class in the Wellness Center and had the children close their eyes and imagine they were in the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus.
Wade-Donohue, who has studied Ignatian Contemplation on her own, said she finds the meditation valuable and is glad students enjoy it.
The Wellness Center has become a prominent part of life at Immaculate Conception, at a time when many students suffer from stress and anxiety.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data from 2022-2023 showed that 11% of children ages 3-17 were diagnosed with anxiety, and 4% of kids in the same age group were diagnosed with depression. A separate CDC survey of children in 2023 found that 20% of them reported symptoms of anxiety and 18% reported feeling depressed.
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However, experts have found that calming activities like yoga and meditation can benefit students. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, meditation breaks during the school day help children relax and, as a result, function better in the classroom. In fact, the academy’s healthychildren.org website includes information encouraging teachers to incorporate meditation training into their lesson plans and parents to meditate with their children at home.
Wade-Donohue said meditation offers academic benefits for children, too.
“I think it helps them not only focus, but to take a step back and regain their composure,” she said.
Fifth grader Arianna Palacios said she’s calmer at school thanks to the Wellness Center. “It’s peaceful and quiet. I like it because it makes me feel good,” she added.