Fountain Valley School Hosts Stanley H. King Institute Centered On Supporting Youth

Listening, camaraderie, and making connections with developing youth are just some of the areas explored throughout the Stanley H. King Institute’s summer workshop held each year on Fountain Valley School’s sprawling 1,100-acre campus.

This August, 68 individuals gathered for Stanley H. King’s week-long professional development clinic aimed at helping educators listen deeply to adolescents and respond in ways that promote learning, foster meaningful relationships, and encourage responsible behavior. Fountain Valley–a private, college-preparatory, co-educational, day and boarding school serving students grades nine through 12–has proudly partnered with Stanley H. King as an institute host site since 1983.

“Like Stanley H. King, Fountain Valley is committed to providing a transformative learning environment in which students feel socially and emotionally supported, challenged to think critically, and inspired to lead life courageously, compassionately, curiously, resiliently, and impartially,” said FVS’s ninth Head of School Megan Harlan. “We are honored to partner with an organization whose mission so closely resonates with our own belief in the power of community and the everyday practices of our faculty and staff.”

Like Stanley H. King, Fountain Valley is committed to providing a transformative learning environment in which students feel socially and emotionally supported, challenged to think critically, and inspired to lead life courageously, compassionately, curiously, resiliently, and impartially.”

The world’s ever-growing youth mental health crisis has been amplified drastically by the COVID pandemic, with results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey–released in April of 2022–showing that 44 percent of teens reported feeling “persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness.” Founded in 1963, the Stanley H. King Institute works with independent school educators and staff to ensure that middle and upper school students feel a sense of motivation and belonging to their school communities under the direction of one or more caring adults.

In addition to offering a diverse range of sessions that emphasize the art of listening, the Stanley H. King program features a lineup of esteemed speakers and facilitators across various disciplines, each contributing their unique perspective and insight into youth depression, anxiety, and loneliness, and combating these issues with connection. Interactive workshops set against the breathtaking natural scenery that is Fountain Valley’s prairie encourage participants to roll up their sleeves and collaborate on creative projects that promote a sense of camaraderie and shared achievement. Participants also benefit from a variety of recreational activities, including nature walks as well as group work, which fosters meaningful conversations beyond the lecture hall.

For one of Fountain Valley School’s own, Hans Gaston, ELL (English Language Learning) faculty, the institute provided an enriching professional development experience that validated their belief in developing positive relationships with students. “I foresee the deep listening skills and activities meant to build relational capacity as invaluable tools in supporting our international students as they navigate high school so far away from home,” said Gaston.

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Founded in 1930, Fountain Valley School of Colorado is a boarding and day school for grades 9-12. Situated on 1,100 acres of rolling prairie in Colorado Springs, the School provides a rigorous, global curriculum in academics, arts, athletics and the outdoors to develop young adults who are courageous, open-minded, self-reliant, curious and compassionate. Enrollment is approximately 240 students from 23 countries, 21 states and the Pikes Peak Region. www.fvs.edu

For more information on the Stanley H. King Institute, please visit https://shkinginstitute.org/.


▲  In addition to offering a diverse range of sessions that emphasize the art of listening, the Stanley H. King program features a lineup of esteemed speakers and facilitators across various disciplines, each contributing their unique perspective and insight into youth depression, anxiety, and loneliness, and combating these issues with connection.


▲  This August, 68 individuals gathered for Stanley H. King’s week-long professional development clinic aimed at helping educators listen deeply to adolescents and respond in ways that promote learning, foster meaningful relationships, and encourage responsible behavior.