Chesapeake Bay Academy receives $15,000 from Sentara Health to Support Social-Emotional Learning

Funding supports collaborative partnership with Sentara Health

Chesapeake Bay Academy (CBA) is pleased to announce a generous contribution of $15,000 from Sentara Health to support the use of virtual reality to improve social and emotional learning for students with learning differences.

The $15,000 gift from Sentara will be utilized to support CBA’s work to implement a social-emotional curriculum delivered in the Metaverse. Through our research arm, the Center for Educational Research and Technological Innovation (CERTI), CBA will work with tech startup, aloeVR, on the implementation and evaluation of a tool to build mental resiliency through virtual mindfulness and meditation experiences. A holistic approach to education is integral to CBA’s approach to learning. Social pragmatic instruction is delivered by CBA’s school counselor, Traci Haly, on a regular basis as part of the middle school curriculum, making our work with aloeVR a perfect fit.

“We are tremendously grateful to Sentara for their generosity and partnership as we expand our vision as innovators in education for exceptional learners. In this dynamic work we will develop effective socioemotional interventions for children across Hampton Roads and beyond,” remarked Dr. Judy Jankowski, Head of School at Chesapeake Bay Academy.

Sentara, an integrated, not-for-profit health care delivery system, celebrates 135 years in pursuit of its mission—” we improve health every day.” Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and among the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, with 30,000 employees, 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, and the Sentara Health Plans division which serves more than 1.2 million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara is recognized nationally for clinical quality and safety and is strategically focused on innovation and creating an extraordinary health care experience for our patients and members. Sentara was named to IBM Watson Health’s “Top 15 Health Systems” (2021, 2018), and was recognized by Forbes as a “Best Employer for New Grads” (2022), “Best Employer for Veterans” (2022), and “Best Employer for Women” (2020).