RE Log Spring 2022

16 Ransom Everglades LOG SPRING 2022 2020 2020 2021 said Kaufman-Janette, who is a member of HIP’s board. “I was excited to be involved in a health program that would successfully reach teenagers.” Alice Jacobson Lash ’78, P’10 ’13 , a former RE trustee, attorney and mindfulness expert, also agreed to join the HIP board. “I thought: This is exactly what is needed,” she said. “Life is stressful, and kids don’t always have information about where to go and what to do … To have conversations with your peers is incredibly helpful, even for students who aren’t struggling.” The next step was reaching out to Miami-Dade County Public Schools. In this quest, Berrin seemed to have luck on her side: the Chief Academic Officer for M-DCPS, Millie Fornell, had been the principal at Miami Palmetto when Berrin attended. Berrin set up a meeting, and Fornell – whom she remembered as an innovator – helped her secure permission for a one-year pilot. (Fornell, who retired from Miami-Dade County Public Schools a few years later, now sits on the HIP board.) In 2009-10, HIP began in two schools: Miami Palmetto and North Miami Beach Senior High. At the time, HIP had a staff of one – Berrin. “It was me, solo,” she recalled. “I was running around in sneakers and a HIP shirt, from classroom to classroom, watching every module.” Even so, the program went better than she could have imagined. “Ninth-grade teachers welcomed HIP into their classrooms,” she said. “Even at the beginning, I realized: This is resonating with the kids. They are really responding to it.” In year two, as HIP added additional schools and made plans for expansion, Berrin realized she needed help. In the summer of 2011, she persuaded her sister, Valerie Berrin, to join HIP as Director of Operations upon her graduation from Barnard College. That gave HIP two full-time staff members. Like her sister, Valerie – who did not attend RE – also had a passion for wellness education. While at Barnard, she spent much of her free time teaching health classes in New York City through a student club. She, too, had navigated health issues throughout her childhood. She was excited to help Risa, nine years her senior, continue to expand the program and fine-tune the programming. Over the next few years, with the two Berrins at the helm, HIP grew with increasing speed. As schools came onboard, the subject matter also expanded; in recent years, HIP has added topics such as vaping and COVID-19. And every module includes resources, so as students learn about various issues, they simultaneously find out where and how to get help. “What’s really important about our curriculum is that it’s evolving as science evolves – every year it changes,” said Valerie Berrin. “It’s not a textbook that sits in schools for several years. We’re able to update it in real time. It makes it really cutting edge and really applicable to what kids are dealing with today.” Those who know the Berrins say they have skills that complement one another – Risa being more visionary and Valerie more practical – and together make a formidable team. “They’re not afraid to meet with anyone, speak in front of anyone, talk about their mission with anyone – they’re fearless and tenacious,” said Katie Lane Arriola P’18 ’21, the chair of HIP’s board whose son, Ben Arriola ’18 , was in the first class of RE PHEs and daughter Grace Arriola ’21 , was also a PHE. “It’s really the only organization of its type in the country, and it started here with two female founders. That’s great for girls. It has a lot of momentum.” Risa Berrin ’98 and Valerie Berrin