Mental Health Resources
We believe the essential foundation for learning is that everyone in the whole school feels they are safe, supported, and belong. Our WHOLE Schools Movement sought to transform schools to be holistic, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive support systems for everyone.
Wellness
Wellness means taking care of your mind, emotions, and body — and making sure everyone in a school community has the support they need to do that. When students, teachers, and staff feel well, they show up more fully, connect more deeply, and learn more effectively.
Healing
Healing means recognizing that many students, teachers, and staff carry real pain — from personal loss to community stress. A healing-centered school creates compassionate spaces where people can work through challenges together, build resilience, and recover — so that everyone can show up ready to learn and grow.
Opportunity
Opportunity means making sure that every single person in the school community, no matter their background, language, income, or identity, has real access to the support and resources they need to thrive. It's not enough to offer resources if not everyone can reach them.
Learning
Learning is the heart of school, but for WHOLE Schools, it goes far beyond test scores and grades. Real learning happens when students feel safe, seen, and supported. A joyful and inclusive learning environment doesn't just teach content, it builds curious, confident, engaged people.
Equity
Equity means that students who have historically been underserved, including LGBTQIA+ students, English Language Learners, and neurodivergent and disabled students, receive mental health resources that reflect who they are and what they actually need. A truly thriving school responds by providing support that is tailored, affirming, and accessible to everyone.
Explore Resources
Explore the guides, tools, and resources created through the WHOLE Schools Movement to support student and educator wellbeing, strengthen school communities, and advance wellness-centered practices.
Needs Assessment
A guiding document
A needs assessment identifies the gap between current conditions and desired outcomes. It helps guide resources toward the most pressing needs and the actions most likely to create meaningful impact.
What You Can Explore & Find
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How to identify current needs and gaps
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Root causes and contributing factors
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Who is most affected
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Priority areas for resources and action
History and Impact of the WHOLE Schools Movement
Since 2022, the WHOLE Schools movement has helped Durham Public Schools strengthen how schools support the whole child—through educator training, community partnerships, student leadership, and school-based grants.
Hear from DPS educators and partners, including 2025 Teacher of the Year Alec Virgil and the Durham County Department of Public Health, as they reflect on why student wellbeing in schools matters and what it takes to build a stronger ecosystem of care.
The WHOLE Schools Movement became a collaborative effort to reimagine what it means for schools to support the whole child and the whole community. Listening sessions informed and identified key needs and challenges that drove our four-pillar model.
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School-based grantmaking allowed educators and school communities to design solutions rooted in their own contexts and priorities.
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The Mental Health Ambassador program invested in educator leadership and helped normalize conversations around wellness and belonging.
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Community Education efforts created opportunities for broader public engagement, learning, and relationship-building.
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Model Schools helped deepen understanding of what more integrated wellness practices could look like within school environments.
Together, these pillars created multiple entry points for schools, educators, students, families, and community organizations to engage in wellness-centered work within school communities.
A special thanks to DPS, Duke Health, Durham County Department of Public Health, the BUILD Health Challenge and all of our community and funding partners for making this work a success.
Hear from students about the value of mental health initiatives in schools.
The lessons learned, partnerships built, and commitments made through WHOLE Schools will continue influencing how Durham approaches student wellness, educator support, family engagement, and school-community collaboration moving forward.
Key elements of this work will continue through, DSPF wellness-centered grantmaking, the DPS-Alliance Health PULSE framework, ongoing community partnerships, community education efforts, and the many school-based practices now embedded across Durham Public Schools.