BCEF's Student Success Center Opens at Batesville High School

The comprehensive academic and emotional wellness hub designed to support students’ needs, is now open.

Photo provided.

(Batesville, Ind.) - The Batesville High School (BHS) Student Success Center, a comprehensive academic and emotional wellness hub designed to support students’ needs, is now open, thanks to a collaboration between the Batesville Community Education Foundation (BCEF) and the Batesville Community School Corporation (BCSC).

The new center positions BCSC as a leader in emotional wellness resources, as BHS is one of the first high schools in the nation to offer the HeartMath biofeedback program to all its students.

Before the construction of the Student Success Center, students seeking support from a counselor had to wait in the school’s main lobby—an area shared with outside visitors. For students in crisis, this created additional stress during already vulnerable moments. Recognizing the need for a more secure and calming environment, BHS school counselors Arika Burck, Jen Steinkamp, and Tricia Stephens, together with BCSC Wellness Coordinator Lisa Tuveson, approached Principal Andy Allen with a plan to ease this strain. Allen identified an alternate location at the high school, and he and Tuveson approached the Batesville Community Education Foundation about supporting the project through its Annual Campaign fundraising process.

“In the spring of 2024, the BCSC team shared its idea with the BCEF board of directors, proposing the conversion of two classrooms near the media center into a dedicated wellness space,” shared BCEF Executive Director Anne Wilson. “Our group rallied around the idea. To make the concept easier to understand for donors, long-time BCEF corporate partner and BCSC’s architecture firm, Fanning Howey, supported the vision by providing visual concept boards and the remodel plans as an in-kind donation.”

BCEF launched its annual campaign fundraising effort in the fall of 2024, while BCSC pursued its own grant opportunities. Together, the two organizations generated significant community investment: $105,000 in grants secured by BCSC and $125,000 raised by BCEF. The school corporation is covering additional project needs.

Demolition and remodeling began in early summer at the conclusion of the 2024-25 school year, with final touches recently completed. Besides traditional guidance services, such as access to counselors for course planning and academic advice, as well as a small group meeting space, the Student Success Center offers a wealth of emotional wellness resources.

“The HeartMath program will be used to teach students how to bring their central nervous system out of fight-or-flight mode so they can learn how to calm themselves,” Tuveson explained. “Our privacy area offers headphones, calming music, weighted blankets, and rocking chairs in individual pods for students experiencing anxiety or emotional dysregulation, and an outdoor patio with a swing offers a fresh-air location for counselor conversations. The goal with this Center is to give the students a place where they know they can find the tools they need to reset, regulate, and return to the classroom, ready and able to learn.’”

A custom wall sculpture entitled “River Stone,” commissioned by BCEF and created by BHS art teacher Andrea Grimsley, adds a calming, artistic touch to the space.

“This project grew from a need we witnessed daily,” said Tuveson. “Whether we like it or not, life for our teens has drastically changed, and the statistics show that anxiety and stress levels are at an all-time high. Students deserve a safe, quiet, private space at school where they can seek help without added stress. The Student Success Center allows us to support the whole student—academically and emotionally.”

“The generosity of BCEF’s donors and partners, combined with BCSC’s commitment to obtaining additional grants, made this innovative space possible,” Wilson concluded. “We’re proud to help create a model that other schools may look to in the future and are more than willing to answer questions from anyone who would like to replicate what we’ve created.”

Other community and business partners on the project included: Bruns-Gutzwiller (construction general contractor), Loth and The Office Shop (furnishings), and Rowland Graphics (signage). Organizational grants were received from the William A. and Martha H. Hillenbrand Foundation, the John A. Hillenbrand Foundation, the Ripley County Community Foundation’s Hillenbrand Partnership with Possibility Grant, the Franklin County Community Foundation, and the Rising Sun Regional Foundation. These organizations, as well as additional individual donors, are commemorated on a plaque in the space.

For more information, visit the BCEF website at BatesvilleEducationFoundation.org or email Wilson at awilson@batesville.k12.in.us or Tuveson at ltuveson@batesville.k12.in.us.