October 28, 2024

At Moler Elementary School, addressing students' emotional and social needs is at the heart of their work. Recognizing the impact of trauma and challenging home environments on many students, Principal Jameica Shoultz, with the help of her staff, has implemented new strategies to provide vital support for the whole child.

The Comfortable Cafeteria is a six-week program developed by Every Moment Counts to assist primary grade levels in creating positive cafeteria environments. The program works with students and staff to help build healthy communication skills during lunchtime. By starting with younger students, the school hopes to instill essential life skills early on.

“We discovered a need for this because a lot of unhealthy conversations were happening at lunchtime,” said Shoultz. “We wanted to show them what healthy communication looks like and teach them how to have constructive conversations.”

Amy French, an Occupational Therapist at Moler Elementary, leads Comfortable Cafeteria. French, who is also completing her internship in educational leadership with the Wallace Cohort at Ashland University and Columbus City Schools, recognized a gap in unstructured times like lunch and recess where behavioral issues tend to arise.

“[The success of Comfortable Cafeteria] has a lot to do with the interactions that the kids have with the adults in the school," French said. “When students develop those good relationships, it encourages them to come to school and participate every day.”

Starting with a clear need and working toward a solution, students are now interacting using skills such as making new friends, engaging in meaningful conversations about topics unrelated to school, and even healthy eating habits. Students at Moler had an opportunity to flex their new social skills with a special guest, former Ohio State University and NFL football player Doug Worthington from Driven Foundation.

“I think somebody with a platform and the opportunity that God gave me it’s always amazing to give back,” said Worthington. “I think being my stature, I still look like I can play football, and they listen to me. I try to give them insight, motivation, and a little bit of my story to give them an idea of what they can look for in their life.”

Many Moler's families work non-traditional hours, making typical family dinner conversations difficult. The Comfortable Cafeteria, with the help of positive role models like Worthington, allows students to interact with adults and fills in gaps they may experience at home.

“The kids don’t naturally pick up these skills. We have to teach them,” Shoultz said. “This is about helping them have meaningful conversations, like ‘What did you do last night?’ and getting to know their peers. We want to expose our students to that experience here at school.”

Social-emotional learning (SEL) in primary grades helps students develop critical communication and relationship-building skills that will set them up for success in middle school, high school, and beyond.

“Our goal is to give our students the tools to be coachable, teachable, and patient,” Shoultz said. “By the time they leave Moler Elementary, they’ll be better prepared for what’s ahead.”

Focusing on these social skills equips students to handle social situations, which ultimately supports their academic growth. Additionally, these SEL activities allow students and staff to interact in unstructured environments. This time allows students to share interests and have the one-on-one time needed to build strong relationships, creating an environment that students want to be in.

“When students build good relationships with adults, it encourages them to participate and attend school regularly,” French said.

The support of staff and outside guests to the Comfortable Cafeteria program empowers social-emotional learning at Moler to help shape well-rounded students. By meeting students’ social needs alongside delivering Moler’s commitment to academic excellence, students are empowered to tackle challenges and thrive in every aspect of their lives. When students learn to dream big, they have the tools to achieve more.

To learn more about the Comfortable Cafeteria and the other programs offered, visit Every Moment Counts.