By Global Leadership Academy Healthy Globe reporters | A school is not just a place for children to learn. It also plays an important role in your health.

Global Leadership Academy has put many things in place to make sure kids are healthy and safe, Mr. Simpson, GLA’s cultural arts coordinator, recently told the Healthy Globe.

In class, students have access to drinking water and are also allowed to wear masks when needed to reduce the spread of germs, he said. GLA has gates around the building, cameras, and security guards to keep students safe. In addition, he shared that GLA has “social learning blocks for student well-being.”

Mr. Simpson said he would like the school to have a “healthy vending machine.” He also would like to see students “hold each other accountable to eat healthy.”

A school’s environment “can affect the attendance, concentration, and performance of both students and educators,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Schools also can build a positive school climate, which plays an important role in students’ mental health. According to the National School Climate Center, everyone in the building can help create a school where students and staff feel engaged and respected and emotionally safe. By working together, a school community can also help others beyond school grounds.

Mr. Fleming, scholar life coordinator, shared an experience of raising money for a cancer survivor whose family had great needs. Learning about the family’s situation inspired the GLA community to contribute to the housing needs of the family.

Mr. Fleming said that it was a valuable experience for scholars because it is a way to “give back and help.” In the future, Mr. Fleming hopes that this outreach inspires the scholars to participate in similar experiences.

Illustration by Hannah, seventh grade, MaST Community Charter, 2023–24.