Testimonials
Testimonials from teachers, principals, counselors, and educators impacted by the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation's work.
PAUL KOBLISKA
Principal, Columbia Middle School
"We are out of the pandemic, and mental health in our schools is a top priority. Partnering with the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation, which assisted us in bringing in student opportunities such as the Minding Your Mind presentation which shared one person's mental healthy journey was very well received by our students. In fact, the very next day, two students who were struggling reached out to the staff with a new optimistic view of the future.”
Denise Fichner
Principal, Bayberry Elementary School
"I am honored to have the opportunity to partner with Marianne Wilson and the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation to provide valuable social emotional learning programming and support to our students at Bayberry Elementary School in Watchung, NJ.
Starting in September, the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation brought us a “Kind Minds” presentation from Minding Your Mind to teach our students in grades K-4 about kindness, tolerance and managing emotions. The students and staff loved it!
Every classroom and special area was provided with a fidget kit, complete with a variety of sensory tools and fidgets. We have used the kits to help students focus and calm their bodies to get ready to learn. We also received a Warmies scented, stuffed bear to comfort students when they are upset.
We are looking forward to our Therapy Dog visits, gifted to us by the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation. We had one visit already and we instantly felt the impact on our students’ mood and emotional well being! Our staff also enjoyed the lift in their spirits and reduced stress levels.
Finally, the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation has provided us with a variety of The Little Spot series book sets on feelings, emotional regulation and kindness. These engaging stories are popular with our staff because they are so effective at teaching our students how to manage their emotions. We are excited to integrate these resources into our lessons and counseling sessions.
On behalf of Bayberry staff and students, I would like to express my gratitude to Marianne Wilson for the positive impact her foundation has had on our learning community. We could not have provided our students with so many valuable experiences and social emotional support without this partnership! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!"
McKenzie Alvarez
Girl Scout Program Development Coordinator
"The Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation introduced and funded Connie Palmer, LCSW, to speak to the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern NJ, about mental wellness, thereby helping them earn their Health badge. The program flowed and went so well! We got great feedback from adults and participants who attended the program."
sarah brown
school counselor,
John Marshall School No. 20
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"John Marshall students began the new year with Social Emotional Learning. Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation and their President, Marianne Wilson sponsored our students through the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. Megan Tuttle, art therapist, provided students with an opportunity to create personal pieces of art to express their thoughts and feelings. Students met one day a week for six consecutive weeks and created their own version worry objects similar to traditional Guatemalan Worry Dolls. What an amazing opportunity to reflect and express ourselves through the arts."
Annie Corley-Hand
Former principal, Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center
"Student response from the books was so positive that I recently asked the MKM PTO to purchase additional materials to support this initiaitive. We appreciate the work of the Foundation and their willingness to support our schools."
Karen Peyragrosse
counselor, roosevelt middle school
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"I would like to deeply express my gratitude towards the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation who brought two fantastic programs to our school. These programs have made a significant impact on our students and have contributed to a more positive school environment.
First, I would like to commend Connie Palmer, LCSW, for her outstanding presentation titled: “Bullies to buddies”. These presentations were in the format of small assemblies for all 7th graders of our school. The Bullies to Buddies method, developed by psychologist Izzy Kalman, is a special skills program that uses role playing to teach students how to respond to bullying. The entire 7th grade participated and took in all the information that was so important to develop positive relationships with one another. Middle school can be a difficult time for students who are trying to figure out who they are and find their own individualities. It has become even harder with social media as students forget how to interact and socialize. This workshop was so helpful and crucial to the climate of the school. It helped students recognize the importance of respect, the importance of paying attention to one another, the importance of accepting who they are. It also helped them feel empowered. The use of role-playing activities allowed the students to actively participate and learn practical skills, such as how to respond to aggressive behaviors. This has helped develop positive relationships. We continue to use this method and the school staff/counselors are reinforcing it on a daily basis.
The second program was a five-week long program titled “Self-Expression through Art '' run by an art therapist. 7th and 8th grade students participated in this weekly activity with enthusiasm and joy. Most of these students had some kind of emotional or social issue and it is inspiring to see how much they took pleasure in expressing themselves, without having to talk. Using art as a tool for expression helped them identify, manage and cope with various sources of stress. They were able to create positive interactions with the art therapist and among themselves. These interactions were essential to their progress and improvement in creating a supportive and nurturing environment for their emotional growth. The art therapist was always prepared, on time, ready to work with our students. She brought all the materials needed, was flexible with our school schedule and offered excellent service.
We are extremely thankful for the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation and what the foundation has helped build for our culture at Roosevelt Middle School."
Madison rowohlt,
jackie bartlett,
Rob Nixon,
Tara oliveira
Governor Livingston High School
"Thank you and your foundation so much for helping us bring such a meaningful and relevant program to both our students and parents! You have undoubtedly made a difference and we are so grateful!"
Kim Delatour
teacher, Hughes School
"I just received the books you purchased for us today. Thank you so much!!! They will be a great addition to our classroom. I plan to start reading them today.”
Caryn Panarese
teacher, Woodruff School
"I'm a kindergarten teacher at Woodruff school and I just wanted to share my gratitude and appreciation for the set of Spot books! These books are a fantastic addition to our SEL classroom libraries. The children are enjoying the stories and making meaningful connections. We are going to make a bulletin board connecting with A Little Spot of Flexible Thinking later in the week. We will be happy to share our end result with you as a token of appreciation. "