Daria Pizzuto

Pizzuto’s innovative teaching idea, “Mindful WAMS,” focuses on implementing mindfulness and relaxation techniques into the classroom to help evade feelings of anxiety and loneliness for the students at William Annin Middle School. Through this project, Pizzuto will devote greater resources to help address the mental health of students in an overly competitive school district. Peer victimization, social anxiety, and perfectionism are just a few stressors that her students suffer from on a daily basis. With the Voya grant, Pizzuto will support the school-wide mindfulness initiative to help train teachers to become advocates for student mental health within the school and local community. Pizzuto hopes this initiative will boost students’ focus and creativity as well as foster stable behavior and patience.