Back to School with Beautiful Me

Beautiful Me teachers! 💚⁠

The new school year is officially underway, bringing new opportunities to help students build confidence, strengthen relationships and develop resilience through Beautiful Me.

Whether you're completing the Teacher Training for the first time or looking for a refresher, you can head straight to our website: selfesteemrising.org/teachertraining.

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Questions? Email Shanthy Hughes, Program Director: shughes@hancefamilyfoundation.org.

School Spotlight: R.M. Finley Middle School

For several years, Finley Middle School in Glen Cove, NY has been using Beautiful Me to help its girls recognize their worth, strengthen their relationships and grow into confident leaders.⁠

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Josephine Santagata, LMSW, brought Beautiful Me to the school, where staff have seen meaningful changes, including a decrease in in-school suspensions among female students. Older participants have even returned to help lead workshops for incoming sixth grade girls!⁠

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“We’ve seen a remarkable change. Beautiful Me has empowered our girls to make better choices, lifting one another up instead of tearing each other down,” shared Principal Nelson Iocolano.⁠

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During our visit this week, we were excited to hear about Finley’s plan to build on that success by bringing Confidence Club to students who do not participate in Beautiful Me.⁠

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We are so grateful to Josephine, Principal Iocolano and the entire Finley community for giving students the tools to support one another and make positive choices.

Top 3 Confidence Club Lessons: August

You downloaded and we counted! Here are our three most downloaded free lessons of the month.

Download all lessons and activities at selfesteemrising.org/lessonplans!

💖 Featured Beautiful Me Teacher: September 💖⁠

For Haizel McIntyre, creating a space where students feel safe enough to be vulnerable is an important part of helping them recognize their own worth.

Haizel is a Bilingual School Social Worker at MS 244, The New School for Leadership and the Arts, in the Bronx. She has worked as a social worker in New York City for more than 15 years, serving students across grades K-12.

Haizel discovered Beautiful Me while preparing to launch the My Sister’s Keeper program at MS 244. When the program was recommended as an addition to her curriculum, she quickly understood why. “They were right!” Haizel shared.

Now entering her third year teaching Beautiful Me in both English and Spanish, Haizel has seen how the program encourages students to gradually open up and connect with one another.

“At first, they can be a little slow to allow themselves to be vulnerable,” she explained. “But by the end of the program, their appreciation requires no words. I can see it through their reactions and their interactions.”

By bringing Beautiful Me to students in two languages, Haizel is helping even more young people feel seen, supported and confident in who they are. We are so grateful for her commitment to creating meaningful experiences for her students and proud to recognize her as our Featured Beautiful Me Teacher this month!