"Last year I spent the entire year here in Northville really just trying to be present and listening to as many people as I possibly could," explains Superintendent Dr. RJ Webber.
Dr. Webber's year of listening revealed a community deeply dedicated to their children and educators.
"That we needed to explore and find ways that we could augment and support our families, our kids, our educators around issues of well-being, mental health and so on," says Dr. Webber.
Collaborating with Assistant Superintendent Rebecca Pek, Dr. Webber developed a visionary position. "We developed a job posting for a position that really attends to 3 major things. One is community partnerships. What does that mean? It means that the goal of the position is to build relationships with colleges, universities, non-profits. To start bringing more people in to serve our kids here," says Dr. Webber.
The second focus is on well-being, expanding resources for both families and students. "So really what we’re doing there is going to provide a structure for like parent evenings, resources and so on," says Dr. Webber.
And the third, and most unique, is the creation of a physical wellness center, a beacon of hope for those in need. Dr. Webber explains, "Where families, staff, students could go to if they’re in need of help. That help could be perhaps they’re facing some mental health issues they don’t know where to turn to next, and we want to be a conduit for that."
"Often times we think about mental health services as a therapy session or connecting with a counselor and there’s a much broader way we can think about wellness and really supporting the whole child. So that’s what we aim to do at the wellness center," says Darby Hoppenstedt, director of community partnerships and wellness, Northville Public Schools.
Darby brings a wealth of experience, from counseling to student support services. "My background is in counseling, I am a licensed professional counselor and I have a school counseling certification. I’ve lived the school counseling world for many years but I also have a background in as director of student support services where I led our efforts around our multi tiered system of support for both the academic side and the behavior side of that framework and developing a continuum of resources and services and interventions for students that may need those," explains Hoppenstedt.
As she steps into her role, Hoppenstedt is committed to listening, learning, and building connections. "What I’m doing in the first few weeks of this position is really listening and learning and kind of understanding what our needs are and maybe where gaps exist so that we can close those gaps for our kids and families. So really spending time trying to understand where we’ve been and where we need to go moving forward and that’s part of it. But I am developing relationships already with community partners and community members and just really trying to build those connections. And parents can certainly start reaching out at any time," says Hoppenstedt.
Darby Hoppenstedt, the director of community partnerships and well-being, is leading Northville Public Schools into a brighter future, hand in hand with the community. Join us in welcoming her as she transforms education through community partnerships and well-being.
You can reach her via email at [email protected].