Flourish, the curriculum of the Compassionate Schools Project for Grades K-5, is a mindfulness and compassion-based social and emotional learning curriculum that integrates movement and skills for promoting the health and wellbeing of self, others, and community. Participants will be introduced to the curriculum materials and related resources, such as small groups, which are all available for free. Participants also will engage in brief Mindful Moments and gentle Mindful Movement practices from the curriculum and learn about implementation resources. 

This interactive workshop is one of three sessions offered by Alexis Harris in the Contemplation By Design Summit. You are welcome to join one or all three sessions. The other sessions include a lecture titled A Decade of Cultivating Compassionate Schools and a guided practice titled Breathe, Move, and Reflect with the Community Approach to Learning Mindfully (CALM) for Educators. Both the lecture and guided practice are also on October 25th. 

Alexis Harris, PhD is the Health and Wellness teacher at Cane Run Elementary School in Virginia and directs the Compassionate Schools Project (CSP) in Jefferson County Public Schools in Virginia. She received her PhD in 2014 from the Pennsylvania State University, where she developed a contemplative wellness-promotion intervention for educators, the CALM (Community Approach to Learning Mindfully) for Educators program. Alexis co-authored Flourish, the CSP curriculum for elementary schools and its accompanying teacher resources, practice guides, and student workbooks. She leads training and implementation support for Flourish teachers and schools, professional development for educators’ SEL capacities and wellbeing, and an annual retreat for teachers in Jefferson County to support educator flourishing.

V. Joan Bryant, MA, PhD is a Program Manager in the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia and manages the Compassionate Schools Project. She contributed to the second edition of the K-5 Flourish curriculum and led development of the Flourishing Students Group resource for schools and communities. Flourish integrates social and personal competency with mindfulness, compassion, and movement. Joan coordinates program expansion and supports ongoing work in the original CSP site in Louisville, KY. She completed a PhD in counselor education and a master’s degree in educational and counseling psychology. Prior to joining CSC, Joan served as research associate in the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado Boulder and as project coordinator and adjunct instructor at Vanderbilt University. Her work focuses on helping to bridge the gap between research and practice by partnering with school districts and communities in accessing and implementing evidence-based programs and practices.

This session is part of the FREE Contemplation by Design Summit, Oct. 15-27, 2025.

The full summit schedule is posted at: https://med.stanford.edu/contemplation/summit.html.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stanford-contemplation-by-design-summit-2025-online-oct-15-27-registration-1520413249959