Set for January 10 at St. Joseph High School will a first of its kind event at the school.

St. Joseph Public Schools Superintendent Kristen Bawks tells us the Maize and Blue Athletic Fund will host an Athlete Wellness Summit, featuring guest speakers and a variety of learning opportunities for student athletes. The event was planned with input from the students who will be attending.

“We elicited feedback from our student athletes, ninth through 12th grade, to say, what do you want to learn more about? Do you want to learn more about healthy eating, having a mindset on and off the field, all sorts of different things,” Bawks said.

Bawks says the summit will bring together student-athletes, coaches, and a distinguished lineup of experts committed to supporting the holistic development of young athletes.

“We have 11 guest speakers coming in to do breakout sessions to teach our student athletes just to be stronger in all that they do. And we have a keynote speaker who will work with our coaches. It’s going to be such an amazing event and kind of the first ever of that kind.”

The keynote speaker will be Mark Ostach, an award-winning author and advocate for connection, mental wellness, and performance. The summit will also include sessions on mental resilience and stress management, workshops on strength and conditioning, nutrition education tailored to athletes, and leadership and character-building activities.

St. Joseph Girls Varsity Basketball Coach Jeff Wallace says today’s athletes face pressures that extend well past the playing field, and the summit is about giving them the knowledge, confidence, and support network they need to thrive.