Strengthening school climates through breath and movement 

At BeWell in School®, we believe that all students and teachers deserve safe spaces to learn and teach.

It’s time to shift the school safety conversation

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At BeWell in School®, we believe it’s time to shift the conversation on student behavior and encourage educational leaders to rethink the true meaning of school safety. Our research shows that something profound happens when young people begin to self-regulate and attend to their emotional needs. In learning to leverage breath and movement, the students in our program can navigate challenging feelings before they escalate. The results? More time on task, fewer discipline referrals, reduced stress, and enhanced connection and belonging for the entire school community. 

Meet BeWell’s Founder

Before becoming a classroom teacher, BeWell founder, Riki Rattner, spent a brief time working within the criminal justice system. Her early career experience in these fields had a profound impact on her and the way she approached student behavior. Riki saw both the criminal justice and education systems fail people in similar ways and found herself reflecting on how she could interrupt the cycle for her students. 

At the same time, Riki was experiencing all the stress that comes with being an educator and began seeking tools to support her own emotional well-being. She reconnected with her yoga practice and fell in love with the calm she experienced in her mind and body after a class. Riki became determined to bring this type of experience to her students in an accessible, inclusive way.

Riki went on to get her yoga teacher certification and learned about the ways that movement, breathwork, and meditation can impact the central nervous system. She began incorporating mindfulness practices into her classroom management and one-on-one work with students. In short, the response she witnessed was profound. And it was in those moments, watching her students learn to self-regulate, attend to their emotional needs, and redirect their behaviors, that the small seed that would eventually become BeWell in School® was planted.

Support the BeWell in School® Mission

At BeWell in School®, we envision a world in which all students have access to educational environments where they feel supported to learn and grow. Your donation helps BeWell in School® partner with more school communities. 

Our Programs:

An alternative to traditional, exclusionary discipline practices

Our school-based mindfulness framework is a proactive alternative to traditional, reactive discipline. The BeWell in School® program helps students learn to self-regulate by connecting with breath and movement. Students can opt-in to support from a trained BeWell Teacher in the designated BeWell Room™. Classroom teachers receive a kid-friendly implementation guide and a variety of digital resources they can use to help students manage emotions and regulate behavior.

A digital library of educator-approved resources

BeWell Digital™ features a wide range of kid-friendly mindfulness resources designed with today’s learning environments in mind. Whether you need a quick video to help your students prepare for a transition or calm their minds and bodies before a test, BeWell Digital™ has the educator-approved resources you need to help your students self-regulate in the classroom and beyond.

Meet the BeWell in School® Team 

Meet the people behind BeWell in School®, a group of passionate professionals from diverse backgrounds who spend their days as front-line advocates for student well-being. 

Riki Rattner

Founder + Executive Director

Sarah Hanrahan

Lexington Program Director + Coach

Kara Kennard

Nashville Program Director + Coach

Rachel Pacernick

Operations Coordinator 

John Boots

Board Chair

Judy Spencer

Vice Board Chair 

Michael Majors

Treasurer

Brian Nock

Secretary

Khrystyne Baltodano

Board Member

Lydia Burris

Board Member