With schoolwork, extracurriculars, and plain stress, students need ways to manage their busy lives and find ways to relax in high school.
This year, Ms. Kheriaty hopes to provide these important skills in her new position as Director of Student Success. Kheriaty’s responsibility is to support Prep’s 800 students through systemized and individualized support systems.
She hopes to support students who may have fallen behind because of special circumstances and also help the student body as a whole through Window Workshops.
Kheriaty was able to explain why Window works so well for these workshops, noting that “our time is so finite here and limited in the school day, so Window just seemed like a time where we could build in some things that were individualized.”
Anyone can sign up to attend these workshops, even those committed to classes or programming during Window. Signing up simply involves filling out the appropriate JotForm, a system which will automatically notify the appropriate Window teachers who in their class is attending a workshop.
The goal of these workshops is to better equip students for their lives but also provide opportunities to improve wellness. Kheriaty emphasized that “our students don’t just need to learn the content here, but they need to learn life skills.”
Some of the workshops focus on balancing a student’s busy life, preparing for math and science tests, alleviating stress with meditation, and even relaxing with dogs. Kheriaty also hopes to incorporate workshops later this year for help with the JRP and UN.
Doggy Downtime, a workshop that involves spending time with dogs on campus, is one of the most popular workshops. Kheriaty explains that “it’s a very mindful activity, to be present in the moment and not be thinking about what’s coming.”
In her position, Kheriaty describes who is involved with organizing this programming: “It’s a collaborative effort among me, Ms. Young, Peer Tutoring, the library, the LRC, and our counselors.”
One result of this collaboration is the study habits workshop, a presentation which relies on peer tutors sharing effective and useful tips to students in preparation for upcoming science and math tests.
Tegan Rain ’25, one of the peer tutor presenters, spoke about how necessary this workshop is at Prep: “It’s important to educate people because teachers don’t really tell you how to study. They normally tell you to study but they don’t really tell you how.”
Octavia Feraboli ’25, another presenter, shared the same sentiment, noting that “this year has been a real awakening because I’ve been doing study habits that I used last year, but they’re not really working this year. I really wish something like this was available when we were freshmen.”
The third presenter, Ben Oswald ’25, noted how help this workshop is important for those transitioning from middle school to high school: “Stuff like this can teach you how to handle the academic stuff at Prep that maybe your middle school didn’t prepare you for.”
Overall, Kheriaty is excited to assist students in her new position and to organize a variety of opportunities for the diverse student body.
“The more we can give people chances to try different things, the better opportunities they’ll have to find things that work well for them and that they could incorporate in their life later on.”
