Contact:
Beth Stefanik
Associate Director of Communications & Media Relations
434.296.5106 (o)
434.282.4371 (c)
bstefanik@stab.org
www.stab.org

MEDIA ADVISORY
St. Anne's-Belfield School Hosting Community Partners for March 18 HealthFest

Charlottesville, Va., March 15, 2016 – St. Anne’s-Belfield School will host its annual HealthFest on Friday, March 18 with 18 different workshops available for Upper School students to attend. Local medical professionals, representatives from the Blue Ridge Poison Center and Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement (JADE), and a variety of other community organizations will lead these sessions. Former Appalachian Trail record-holder Jennifer Pharr Davis will present “One Step at a Time” as the keynote address, based on stories from her three traverses of the trail.

“Today's teens are inundated with mixed messages about their bodies, gender roles, and sexuality, not to mention their own internal drive to succeed at high levels in academics, arts, and athletics,” says Sophie Speidel, School counselor and organizer of the event.

“The variety of HealthFest sessions, from yoga and journal writing to reproductive health, addiction, recovery, and emotional issues for teens to CPR and first aid training, offers every student a chance to learn about healthy coping strategies and gives them valuable skills to use going forward.” 

In addition to workshops, the event will also include a screening of Escalation, a film on relationship violence produced by the One Love Foundation (founded in 2010 to honor the memory of Yeardley Love) for the senior class. Several students previously trained as facilitators will lead the discussion.

LOCATION: St. Anne’s-Belfield School (2132 Ivy Road)
DATE: Friday, March 18
TIME: 8:10 – 11:35 a.m.
CONTACT: Beth Stefanik, contact details above

Coverage of this event is encouraged.
Interviews with Sophie Speidel will be available from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

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St. Anne’s-Belfield School is a co-educational preschool through grade 12 day school of more than 900 students and 120 faculty and staff, with a boarding program in grades 9 through 12. More than 20 countries are represented in the student body, with 38% of families receiving financial aid. More information may be found at www.stab.org.