Batesville High School unveils Student Success Center

(BATESVILLE, Ind.) – Batesville High School unveiled their new Student Success Center this week. 

The space serves as a wellness hub designed to support the student needs. It also makes the high school one of the first in the nation to offer the HeartMath biofeedback program to all students. 

“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,” said BCSC Wellness Coordinator Lisa Tuveson. 

The space also provides a privacy area with emotion support materials. 

“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,” Tuveson added. 

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. 

“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.

She added, “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 more than $225,000 to create 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.”

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.”