The FORT
At School.
Bringing experiential mental wellness workshops into schools that help students strengthen relationships, manage stress, and grow healthy life skills.
Meeting Students Where They Are.
The FORT At School partners with middle and high schools to deliver experiential mental wellness workshops during the school day or as after-school programs. Offered as a 4–6 week series, these engaging 50–60 minute workshops help students strengthen emotional awareness, develop healthy coping strategies, and connect with peers in meaningful ways.
Schools may focus on one modality or explore a variety of activities including expressive arts, mindfulness, nature and animal interaction, and movement-based workshops. Designed to complement existing wellness and social-emotional learning initiatives, the program provides positive, low-pressure opportunities for students to grow confidence, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills.
Who Is This For
Meeting Students’ Needs.
Many students benefit from opportunities to slow down, interact with peers, and discover healthy ways to navigate stress within the school environment.
By bringing these workshops directly into schools, students can participate more easily during the school day or after school, reducing transportation and scheduling barriers that may limit access to community-based programs.
The FORT At School is especially valuable for students who:
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Want to strengthen coping skills and emotional awareness
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Would benefit from additional peer interaction and encouragement
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Enjoy creative or hands-on approaches to learning
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Feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, or social pressures
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Could benefit from meaningful after-school activities
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Prefer experiential learning over discussion-based settings
Key Benefits
Strengthening Wellbeing.
Easy Access:
School-based workshops help reduce transportation, scheduling, and participation barriers for families.
Healthy Coping Strategies:
Through mindfulness, movement, expressive arts, and group activities, students practice healthy ways to manage emotions and everyday challenges.
Improved Focus & Participation:
When students feel more emotionally regulated, they are better able to focus, participate, and engage in school.
Stronger Relationships:
Shared activities help foster empathy, inclusion, positive peer interaction, and a stronger sense of community.
Lifelong Skills:
Students develop resilience, self-awareness, and healthy help-seeking habits they can carry into everyday life.
What Students Experience.
Students participate in interactive workshops designed to help them gradually feel more comfortable, engaged, and confident over time. Activities may include mindfulness exercises, movement, expressive arts, nature-based experiences, team collaboration, and opportunities for reflection.
Next Steps.
Want To Bring The FORT To Your School?:
If you are interested in bringing The FORT At School to your school community, please contact us at info@ryanbartelfoundation.org. Our team will work with you to identify the best schedule, themes, and workshop options based on student interests and facilitator availability.
Participating schools will receive a marketing toolkit and ongoing guidance to support registration and program promotion within their community.
Space is limited, and registration is required for each 4–6 week series. Students are encouraged to attend all sessions to gain the greatest benefit from the program.
The Program Leaders
Our Program Leaders and Facilitators.
Danielle Dorfman
Program Manager
Danielle holds an MFA from Brown University and a BFA from Kent State University. She is currently completing her final year of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Lock Haven University. With more than a decade of experience engaging with teens in performing arts spaces, her work has focused on fostering empathy, confidence, and healthy peer relationships. Her interests lie at the intersection of expressive arts and mental health, and she is passionate about creating inclusive, compassionate spaces where teens can feel seen, valued, and connected.
Danielle lives in Fairfax with her partner and their rescue dog. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the arts, loves exploring walking and hiking trails and trying out new baking recipes.
Abby Anderson, Ph.d
Program Manager
Abby works with teens in The FORT At School program and The FORT Hangout. She helps create spaces where teens can feel safe, be themselves, and build confidence at their own pace. Abby believes that when people feel safe, they’re more willing to try new things, learn coping skills, and connect with others.
Abby Ridge-Anderson has a PhD in developmental psychology with expertise in adolescent development, trauma-informed care, and adolescent suicide prevention. She has extensive experience working with teens and families across foster care, school-based mental health programs, and clinical settings, and supports youth across several RBF programs, including The FORT At School program, The FORT Hangout and as a Sources of Strength trainer.
Stephanie Townsend, M.Sc.
Hi! I’m Stephanie Townsend, an Ashburn resident and mom of two teenage boys. I hold a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology with a concentration in Pediatrics and Health Psychology.
My career has included work at Children’s National Medical Center and the Hospital for Sick Children, supporting children and families facing serious illnesses, injuries, and disabilities. I later worked in mental health advocacy with Mental Health America and the National Association of Mental Health Planning and Advisory Councils, helping develop educational resources, support state mental health planning, and advocate for policy change.
Throughout my career and volunteer work, I have developed mentoring programs and training focused on mental health awareness, suicide prevention, leadership development, and supporting adolescents facing challenges such as eating disorders, mood disorders, autism, and trauma.
What I love most about The FORT AT School is helping teens build connection, confidence, and resilience in a space where they feel accepted and supported. It is a privilege to watch young people discover their strengths, find belonging, and realize they are not alone. They are often our biggest teachers.
Kirsten Shabanowitz, RYT-500, E-RYT 200, YACEP
Hello my friends. I’m Kirsten, a yoga and meditation teacher. I own Kiss of Yoga, LLC which offers boutique services specializing in individually curated classes, community workshops, retreats, and workplace wellness initiatives designed with care and compassion for all ages of practitioners. I have been practicing yoga for over a decade and am truly honored to bring this practice into the hands of others. Whether we are moving, meditating, breathing, journaling, or getting out in nature, these connective, mindful experiences can provide our minds with a sense of calm clarity through regular practice.
I am intentional about providing tools to support the body, mind, and breath connection, invite inquiry inward, celebrate and appreciate the beauty of individuality, and offer tools for continued individual exploration, while upholding and appreciating the roots of yoga through education and practice. In perfect conjunction with my work in wellness, I am also trained in Sources of Strength and support Loudoun County Public School trainings for student and adult leaders through the Ryan Bartel Foundation.
Nancy McGovern, MS, RYT-500 & C-IAYT
Hi, I’m Nancy. At The FORT AT School, I use movement, yoga, breath, and mindfulness to help teens slow down, reconnect with their bodies, and explore what they’re feeling in a safe, supportive way.
I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Florida State University and a Master of Science in Yoga Therapy from Maryland University of Integrative Health. I’m also a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-500) and Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT).
For over 30 years, I’ve worked with children and teens through creative movement and dance, and I’m the founder of Dance To You and Corner of the Sky. My work has always centered on helping young people express themselves through movement, especially when words don’t feel like enough.
In my workshop, there’s no pressure to perform or get it “right.” Movement becomes a way to release stress, build awareness, and notice how emotions show up in the body. My goal is to help teens feel calm, supported, and more connected to themselves.
Voices From The FORT At School.
Hear directly from teens and parents about their experiences at The FORT. How connection, support, and shared activities have helped build confidence, coping skills, and a stronger sense of belonging.
“The FORT At School program has provided a fun, engaging opportunity for connection for our students. The workshops encourage positive risk taking, collaboration and communication and offer students opportunities to learn strategies for handling stress and difficult times. Our students have really enjoyed it and many have returned for multiple sessions!”
School Staff
“The FORT At School program is a great resource to provide more social emotional support to students at your school. Ryan Bartel staff are professional, responsive, and easy to communicate with. They make it easy by creating the flyer and providing correspondence to parents who have signed up, and they run the program, so there is very little we have to do on the school end. It’s a great partnership!”
School Staff
“My daughter absolutely loved the fall sessions with the FORT! It is an amazing program and I love that it’s being made available in the schools! It’s a valuable resource. I want to sincerely thank the Ryan Bartel Foundation for the incredibly important work you’re doing in our community! The support you provide around student mental health is so needed and programs like the FORT create space for connection, creativity, and emotional well-being! Our schools truly need more resources like this, and it’s inspiring to see the impact you’re making for students and families!”
Middle School parent
“The FORT At School program had a meaningful impact on our students in several ways. The program fostered strong connections among participants and helped create a sense of belonging. Through the workshops, students learned a variety of strategies to better understand and manage their emotions. Overall, the program had excellent attendance, and we received very positive feedback from both students and parents. Based on this success, we hope to continue offering The FORT as an afterschool program in the future!”
School Staff
“We loved hosting the FORT At School Program at our middle school. It was a fun, easy way for a diverse group of students to interact with each other and learn valuable skills. It was immediately a safe, engaging space for them and it was obvious how much they enjoyed it each week. We can’t wait to have them back next school year!”
School Staff
“Thank you for hosting the FORT at Blue Ridge Middle School. My daughter always seems so self-assured, compassionate, and less anxious after attending. She told everyone at her afterschool program that she loves the FORT!”
Middle School parent
“The FORT At School is an excellent after school program to help connect students to coping skills/workshops that they may not be able to access in the typical school setting.”
School Staff
FAQs About The FORT At School
Workshops are typically 50–60 minutes and are usually offered once per week during the school day or after school.
Yes. Schools may choose a 4-6-week series, and focus on specific modalities based on student needs and school goals.
The FORT At School is designed for middle and high school students ages 12–18.
Activities may include expressive arts, mindfulness, movement, nature-based experiences, team-building exercises, and other experiential wellness activities.
No. The FORT At School is a prevention-focused mental wellness program that has therapeutic benefits, helping strengthen coping skills, connection, resilience, and emotional wellbeing through experiential learning.
Students are encouraged to participate at their own comfort level. Activities are intentionally low-pressure and designed to reduce social anxiety or fear of being singled out.
Yes. The program is designed to support and enhance existing social-emotional learning, mental wellness, and student support initiatives already in place within schools.
Workshops are facilitated by trained staff and FORT facilitators experienced in working with adolescents in supportive group environments.