Northfield, N.H. (September 11, 2024) – There was not a dry eye in sight after a knock on a conference room door at Spaulding Academy & Family Services on August 8. Behind the door stood an unexpected visitor, one that not many would anticipate seeing in a conference room in the middle of the day – a 10-year-old girl. Clutched in her hands were three drawings, her mission was clear: she had to show and tell Scarlett Lewis just how much the Choose Love Movement meant to her as a student at Spaulding.
The Choose Love Movement was founded by Lewis after her son, Jesse, was a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in December of 2012. Shortly after the tragedy, Lewis discovered a message that Jesse had written on their chalkboard in the kitchen. Unbeknownst to her at the time, these words would inspire a movement that would start changing the lives of children for years to come. Six-year-old Jesse had written “Norturting (Nurturing) Helinn (Healing) Love” on the chalkboard, in an epiphany moment, his grieving mother realized that perhaps if the Sandy Hook assailant had received more nurturing in his life, this tragedy may not have occurred.
From that moment on, Lewis made it her mission to provide free Character Social Emotional Development programs for educators, in hopes of teaching all children to act with nurturing, healing and loving responses to life’s difficulties. The Choose Love Movement broadly focuses on emphasizing open discussions, celebrating successes and thoughtful responses to challenges in day-to-day life using the Choose Love Formula.
Garrett Lavallee, principal and director of special education at Spaulding, caught wind of the Choose Love Movement when it was introduced to the school in 2020. He knew immediately that this initiative could change lives, specifically the lives of the children at the Spaulding campus, but the movement had yet to gain momentum at the school. In April of 2022, Lavallee assumed the role of principal and director of special education. He made his mission to fully immerse the campus with the Choose Love Movement.
Shortly after, he and members of the Spaulding staff attended a conference in Manchester, N.H. where they were introduced to Shannon Desilets, the state’s Choose Love program director. Lavalee and Desilets immediately joined forces and became determined to further the movement at the school.
Not long after Lavallee’s revelation, he had the chance to meet Lewis in Atlanta, alongside Desilets. The three decided it was an opportune time to bring the movement to Spaulding and truly integrate and showcase it as a model and early adopter. Choose Love has been woven into the fabric of the school ever since, demonstrating its commitment to safety and well-being.
Since the school’s initial adoption of the philosophy of Choose Love, the entire campus has seen astounding results, including a decrease in crisis behaviors. In the classrooms, crisis behaviors have decreased by 35 percent and standardized test scores have increased. In July 2024, Spaulding officially became the first ever Choose Love certified school.
“To say that we are excited to be the first Choose Love certified program in the world would be an understatement. It is my mission to foster a community that is nurturing, healing, safe, and filled with love,” Lavallee said. “I have witnessed firsthand the benefits of the Choose Love movement. We have seen an increase in our student’s standardized test scores, a decrease in behavioral referrals, and a community of staff that have come together to embrace the four pillars of Choose Love. I believe in Choosing Love.”
The scene in the conference room on August 8 perfectly encapsulated just how impactful the Choose Love Movement has been to the Spaulding family. In the words of the 10-year-old Spaulding student, Choose Love “fills her bucket,” and she could not miss the opportunity to tell the founder herself when she heard she would be visiting Spaulding to help host a Choose Love Masterclass kickoff event.
The Choose Love Masterclasses are being rolled out for the first time nationally at Spaulding and began in August. This series of four masterclasses, hosted at Spaulding’s community center involve the entire Spaulding staff and have the goal of furthering the reach of the movement and ensuring that all staff are properly prepared to teach Choose Love.
“I’m thrilled that Spaulding will be leading the charge as our first certified Choose Love school,” Lewis said. “As a courageous leader in alternative education, Spaulding is an exemplary model of how Choosing Love can amplify already great work and outcomes. I’m proud to be supporting the incredible staff and educators at Spaulding and look forward to seeing and sharing the benefits with parents and the community.”
While Lavallee is eager to continue to infuse the movement’s teachings into all areas of the school, he is just as enthusiastic about sharing the magic of the Choose Love Movement with other organizations and schools across New Hampshire and around the country. In the coming years, the principal hopes that Spaulding and Choose Love will be synonymous, and he envisions the school becoming a training hub for other schools across the country interested in the Choose Love movement and model. Spaulding residential and clinical staff have worked closely with Lavallee and plan to integrate the movement into the residential and community-based services Spaulding offers.
The Choose Love curriculum is offered to schools at no cost, breaking down any barriers to entry for schools wishing to join the program. In 2020, New Hampshire became the first state in the nation to adopt the Choose Love curriculum at a state level, encouraging schools around the state to introduce the program in their classrooms. More than 400 New Hampshire schools have utilized the curriculum to date. Lavallee hopes that with Spaulding’s help and guidance, more Choose Love certified schools will begin popping up around the state and country.
New Hampshire was the first state in the nation to make Choose Love a statewide initiative. State efforts are led by Desilets, who has worked very closely with Lewis to help introduce this work across New Hampshire. Housed in the NH Department of Health and Human Services, the initiative is expanding into corrections and caregiving.
Becoming a Choose Love certified school shows a commitment to the safety, health and wellbeing of the students and staff. The certification provides a framework of tried-and-true best practices that foster a safe and compassionate environment through implementing and practicing Choose Love effectively, while also creating a ripple effect of positivity and compassion in the broader community.
When a 10-year-old demonstrates how Choose Love impacted her through words and drawings unprompted by others, it’s clear that the movement is making headway. With Lavallee, Lewis and the Spaulding leadership team working together on this united front, it is almost certain that many more students at Spaulding and elsewhere will experience the Choose Love Movement “filling their bucket.”
Spaulding Academy & Family Services was established in 1871 in Northfield, N,H. Formerly known as Spaulding Youth Center, today the organization serves youth from ages 4 through 21 at its 500-acre Northfield campus and offers services such as foster family licensing, Individual Service Option (ISO) foster care, ISO in-home services, child health support services, and more.
For more information, please visit www.ChooseLoveMovement.org.
