3×
Scheduled for every student
One-on-one conversations happen three times during each school year, before a problem has to become a crisis.
Student wellness at City River
Care Belongs in the School Day
City River supports students' physical well-being through daily movement and fresh meals, and their mental well-being through mindfulness and a trusted adult who knows them.
Heart and Mind coaching
More support when it matters.
High school is a complex, transitional time. Students are developing their voice, making harder choices, and discovering who they want to become.
Every student will meet one-on-one with a Heart and Mind Coach three times each year. These are structured conversations about how the student is doing, what they are learning about themselves, and where they need support. The coach supplements academic advising and college counseling with a trusted relationship centered on the student as a person.
More Support
Not one-size-fits-all
Students who need more will receive more frequent check-ins and a higher level of support. Planned partnerships will also help families connect with counseling and clinical care.
Tools
Skills students can use
Mindfulness, reflection, breathing, gratitude, and emotional vocabulary help students notice what they need and choose what to do next.
Research partnership
Studied with Cleveland State.
City River is being designed as a learning laboratory for whole-student practice. With Cleveland State University, the school will study the impact of the Heart and Mind Program and its broader wellness approach. The findings will help City River improve over time and, as the evidence develops, share useful practices, tools, and lessons with educators nationally.
A phone-free school day.
City River will be phone-free throughout the school day. Students will have the space to give their full attention to what is in front of them: to learn deeply, move with purpose, eat in community, and build relationships that are harder to form through a screen.
Healthy,
scratch-cooked
meals.
City River plans to serve breakfast and lunch prepared fresh each day by an in-house kitchen team, using whole ingredients like vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and lean proteins. These meals are for every student, and the food gives them the energy to stay focused and active all day.
Morning movement
8:00
Movement before first period.
Every student starts the day in motion. Team sports, yoga, dance, strength training, rowing, and play-to-learn activities make movement something every student can participate in, from first-time players to experienced athletes. Students build energy, practice, teamwork, and a lasting relationship with movement.
Questions families ask
What families want to know.
What happens if a student needs more support?
Every student will have three scheduled Heart and Mind conversations each year. Students who need more will receive more frequent check-ins and a higher level of support. Through planned local partnerships, City River also hopes to connect students and families with counseling, psychiatry, related primary care, and care navigation during the school day.
How will the phone-free school day work?
Students will put phones away throughout the school day so they can focus on learning, movement, meals, creative work, and one another. City River will share the practical procedures with families before opening.
Are meals and movement part of every day?
Yes. City River plans to serve breakfast and lunch each school day, prepared by an in-house kitchen team using scratch cooking and whole ingredients. Every student will also begin the school day with movement at 8:00 AM, with options for different interests and experience levels.
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