With the welcoming of Mark Fadool, the new director of wellness, UPrep also welcomes new initiatives around wellness education.
Fadool’s expertise stems from his prior work as a clinical director, therapist, and more. He is thrilled to have this “great opportunity” and “cool title.”
This role evolved from the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Director job previously held by Emily Schorr Lesnick.
Kelly Herrington, director of college counseling and student services, and supervisor for the director of wellness, clarifies this adaptation.
“I know that this position may seem kind of new, but it’s been here for a while, it’s just been refreshed and rebranded,” Herrington said. “We just took Emily’s position and kind of recrafted it to meet the moment.”

Herrington believes educational achievement requires emotional healthiness.

“I want teenagers to feel like they know how to take care of themselves, their friendships, they learn how to better communicate with the adults in their lives.”
“You can’t divorce having great academics from really supporting and nurturing great mental health,” Herrington said. “I think when you have students who are strong emotionally and have the support that they need, the learning is going to come more easily.”
Since Fadool’s arrival in August, he’s been on the lookout for wellness initiatives taking place at UPrep.
“One of my biggest things I focused on the first five, six weeks of being here is meeting people and assessing all the wellness that is currently happening because we don’t have to build this from the ground up,” Fadool said. “Just because it’s a new position doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been a lot of wellness going on at the school.”
The Director of Wellness role isn’t confined to a singular department, but rather stretches to the counselors, PE department and the Integrated Learning Plan.
“When you talk about wellness, you don’t want to compartmentalize it. You want to make sure it’s spread out,” Fadool said.
Fadool regularly meets with directors of wellness in independent schools across the country.
“I’m constantly trying to dig up stuff and see what’s happening,” Fadool said. Fadool participates in planning for the upcoming conference, that SOCCS is based on, in Washington, DC in November.
“I spent a lot of time in the last month organizing a trip to the Georgetown Day School Consent Summit,” Fadool said. “We’re going to use that information and knowledge and inspiration to help design our SOCCS conference here.”
Fadool aims toward creating a culture of wellness.
“How do we make sure that teachers have the skills they need to incorporate wellness or mindfulness? How do we make sure that staff change their stance a little bit to make sure they are encouraging wellness?” Fadool said.
Senior Nava Ruthfield, a Mental Health Advisory Board executive, feels strongly about wellness among students.
“We’re a really strong academic school, which brings stress no matter what,” Ruthfield said. “But we address our wellness in good ways, and we all work together to bring the school to a healthier place.”
Fadool hopes to have everyone be their “own director of wellness.”
“That we all are sleeping better, eating better, laughing more, getting exercise, having meaningful relationships with each other, and feel like it’s safe to be vulnerable,” Fadool said. “I think wellness can be very contagious, and that’s the goal.”