Batesville High School opens Student Wellness Center to overcome challenges

ALSO TONIGHT, A LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT IS OPENING A FIRST OF ITS KIND STUDENT WELLNESS CENTER TO HELP KIDS REALLY OVERCOME BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES. JOINING ME HERE ON THE COUCH TODAY IS THE SUPERINTENDENT OF BATESVILLE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, PAUL KETCHAM, ALONG WITH LISA TUVESON, WHO IS THE WELLNESS COORDINATOR FOR BATESVILLE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS. GUYS, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. THANK YOU. SHEREE. I LOVE THAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THESE ISSUES NOW. SO, PAUL, LET ME START WITH YOU. EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN OVER THE YEARS. HAVE WE SEEN AN INCREASE IN BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL AND MENTAL STRESSORS ON OUR KIDS? AND WHAT ARE YOU GUYS SEEING? THE ANSWER IS UNFORTUNATELY, YES, WE HAVE SHEREE. I THINK SINCE COVID, WHICH IS KIND OF AMPLIFIED, ALL THESE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEEDS AND ISSUES, WE FOUND THAT AT BATESVILLE SCHOOLS. AND I THINK ACROSS THE STATE OF INDIANA, THAT THIS IS THE BIGGEST ACADEMIC BARRIER WE FACE. THERE’S STILL POVERTY. THERE’S STILL ALL THE THINGS, BUT THE ABILITY FOR KIDS, STUDENTS TO REGULATE THEMSELVES. THEY’RE NOT FOCUSED ABOUT LEARNING. AND THAT’S THAT’S AS MY AS A SUPERINTENDENT SAID, WELL, HOW DO WE OVERCOME THIS BARRIER? YEAH, THAT’S WHAT MY NEXT QUESTION WAS GOING TO BE HERE. YOU OVERSEE THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT. DID YOU HAVE PARENTS COMING TO YOU? DID YOU HAVE TEACHERS COMING TO YOU SAYING, WE’VE GOT TO DO MORE TO MAKE OUR STUDENTS FEEL COMFORTABLE BEFORE I CAN EVER TEACH THEM? YEAH. GREAT QUESTION. ALL OF THE ABOVE. BASICALLY, STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, AS I GROW MORE SECURE LEADERSHIP, I TOOK BETTER FEEDBACK FROM TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. AND THAT WAS A COMMON THEME. I HEARD THEY WANTED TO BE SEEN, VALUED AND HEARD, AND THE TEACHERS SHARED THAT THIS WAS THE BIGGEST BARRIER THEY FACE IN THE CLASSROOM. AND BITS AND PIECES OF JUST TALKING TO STUDENTS. SO I FELT ALMOST AN OBLIGATION TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP THOSE STUDENTS AND IN TURN, HELP THE TEACHERS DO THEIR JOB. I LOVE THIS, LISA. TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE KIND OF RESOURCES THIS NEW STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER WILL OFFER. HOW ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO HELP THE KIDS IN THIS WAY? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO THE SUCCESS CENTER IS REALLY A DESIGNATED SPACE IN OUR HIGH SCHOOL WHERE WE’RE GOING TO FOCUS ON THE MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLNESS OF OUR STUDENTS. SO IF A STUDENT IS DISREGULATED DURING THE DAY, FOR INSTANCE, IF THEY HAVE ANXIETY OR STRESS OR OVERWHELMED, THEY CAN COME TO THE CENTER AND RESET AND LEARN SKILLS THAT THEY CAN MANAGE THEIR STRESS AND THEN GET BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM READY TO LEARN, READY AND ABLE TO LEARN. SO OUR GOAL FOR THE SUCCESS CENTER IS FOR STUDENTS TO NOT JUST STAY THERE ALL DAY, TO COME IN FOR A RESET, TO TAKE A PAUSE OR A STRUCTURED BREAK AND GET THEM BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM AND TO FULLY UNDERSTAND IT, YOU WERE SAYING. SO YOUR COUNSELORS WILL BE LOCATED THERE. SO IT’S NOT LIKE THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE COUNSELOR’S OFFICE. THEY CAN GO TO THIS SUCCESS CENTER. AND THEN ALSO YOU’RE GOING TO USE A TOOL CALLED HEART MATH. WHAT IS THAT? BECAUSE I THINK THAT’S PRETTY COOL. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO HEART MATH IS A BIOFEEDBACK TECHNOLOGY, A PROGRAM WHERE STUDENTS CAN SEE IN REAL TIME HOW THEIR NERVOUS SYSTEM SHIFTS FROM A STRESS STATE TO A CALM STATE. WHAT THEY WILL DO IS THEY’LL PUT A SENSOR ON THEIR FINGER, WHICH ACTUALLY MEASURES THEIR HEART RATE VARIABILITY. SO HOW THEIR HEART RATE CHANGES, AND THEN THE PROGRAM WILL TAKE THEM THROUGH A BREATHING PRACTICE WHERE THEY’LL CONNECT TO THEIR EMOTIONS AND THEIR HEART ALSO. AND WHILE THEY’RE DOING THE BREATHING PRACTICE, AS I SAID, THEY CAN SEE FIRST TIME IN REAL TIME THAT THEIR HEART RATE IS STARTING TO REGULATE OR WHAT WE CALL COHERENCE. SO IT’S REALLY EXCITING. IT DOES SOUND LIKE JUST GIVING THEM THE TOOLS TO DO A RESET AND TO CALM DOWN. SO, OKAY, THE DISTRICT HAS AN OPEN HOUSE FOR THE SUCCESS CENTER COMING UP TOMORROW. WHAT CAN PARENTS AND STUDENTS EXPECT YOU TO HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS COME OUT AND VISIT US FROM 530 TO 7 P.M. AT 6:00? WE’LL HAVE SOME FORMAL STATEMENTS, BUT WE JUST WANT PEOPLE TO SEE WHAT WE’RE DOING FOR OUR STUDENTS. AND AGAIN, IF WE CAN HELP SOMEBODY OUTSIDE OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE’RE HAPPY TO DO THAT AS WELL. WHAT’S THE BIG TAKEAWAY THAT YOU WANT THE COMMUNITY AND PARENTS OR STUDENTS TO GET FROM THIS, THAT THEY SHOULD KNOW THAT THEIR SCHOOL LOVES THEM, AND THE SCHOOL IS GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE THEIR KIDS SUCCESSFUL. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT’S WHY WE’RE HERE. YEAH. I MEAN, I THINK ABOUT IT. WE KNOW EVEN AS ADULTS, IF THERE’S SOMETHING MAJOR GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN’T FOCUS AT WORK. IT’S THE SAME WITH KIDS IN SCHOOL. AND NOW THE PRESSURES OF SOCIAL MEDIA MAKE IT EVEN STRONGER, I WOULD THINK. RIGHT. WELL, PAUL, I APPRECIATE IT. PAUL KETCHUM, THE SUPERINTENDENT OF BATESVILLE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, AND LISA TOVAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH, GUYS, FOR BEING HERE. SO JUST A REMINDER FOR ALL OF YOU THAT OPEN HOUSE IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE TOMORROW AT BATESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, 530 TO 630. BUT THE FORMAL REMARKS START AT 6:00 IF YOU WANT TO CHECK IT OUT, GUYS. THAN

Batesville High School opens Student Wellness Center to overcome challenges

Updated: 4:25 PM EST Dec 8, 2025

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An Indiana school district is opening a first-of-its-kind, student wellness center to help kids overcome behavioral health challenges.The center is opening at Batesville High School.On Monday, WLWT was joined by superintendent of Batesville Community Schools, Paul Ketcham, and wellness coordinator Lisa Tuveson, who talked about the center.See the full interview in the video player at the top of the story.Batesville High School will host an Open House on Tuesday night, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Formal remarks will begin at 6 p.m.

BATESVILLE, Ind. —

An Indiana school district is opening a first-of-its-kind, student wellness center to help kids overcome behavioral health challenges.

The center is opening at Batesville High School.

On Monday, WLWT was joined by superintendent of Batesville Community Schools, Paul Ketcham, and wellness coordinator Lisa Tuveson, who talked about the center.

See the full interview in the video player at the top of the story.

Batesville High School will host an Open House on Tuesday night, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Formal remarks will begin at 6 p.m.