Innovation Series: What Balance Looks Like for WAB Learners

In the Elementary School, a Grade 1 class begins the day with Morning Meeting, sharing their thoughts and listening to one another. Students check in by choosing how they feel on an emotions board, excited, tired, happy, calm, and more, building early habits of self-awareness, empathy, and wellbeing.  In the Middle School, a Grade 7 design student learns to manage a multi-step project: testing prototypes, revising plans, and organizing deadlines, developing academic balance through time management and purposeful effort. In the High School, a student-athlete in Grade 10 works with coaches and advisors to structure a weekly routine that supports professional athlete training and academic coursework, showing how balance becomes a personalized, sustainable strategy. Together, these everyday moments illustrate how WAB equips students with the habits, agency, and resilience needed to thrive.

Becoming “balanced and reflective inquirers” is one domain of the Profiles of WAB Alumni competences, shaping how students approach learning, wellbeing, and their long-term goals. This connects strongly to global research, including the OECD’s Education for Human Flourishing report, which highlights that flourishing is not a passive approach wellness but the ability to live well while engaging in meaningful work. 

For WAB students, balance means learning how to master their time and energy, maintain healthy habits, stay active, understand themselves, and invest effort into work that is purposeful and fulfilling. By the time they reach Grades 11–12, many feel prepared for the demands of the IB Diploma because they’ve spent years developing these habits in a supportive and intentional environment. 

The concept of balance is sometimes oversimplified to just avoiding stress. But at WAB, balance is about healthy engagement and building the resilience needed to navigate challenges, transitions and change.  

Students practice balance when they: 

• Prioritize work that aligns with their goals 

• Participate in sports, arts, and activities that keep them active and creative 

• Engage deeply in academics without overloading themselves 

• Learn to reflect on their choices and habits 

• Build routines that support their wellbeing 

This helps students maintain momentum and feel grounded even when they face demanding tasks. 

Balance at WAB is intentional, supported through systems and culture: 

• A rotating timetable in middle and high school protects focus and fairness across subjects 

• Healthy routines: active PE programs, nutritious food, and outdoor learning support wellbeing 

• A student-centered learning model keeps students engaged through inquiry and collaboration 

• Inclusive sports, arts, and activity programs ensure participation for all students 

• Social-emotional learning strengthens relationships and emotional awareness 

• A holistic school culture that celebrates all aspects of learning: academics, creativity, activity, global citizenship and wellbeing  

These structures make balance something students experience every day, not just something they are told to achieve. 

When students feel grounded, healthy, and purposeful, they are more motivated and more capable of sustained effort. Balance helps students: 

• Understand their goals 

• Make thoughtful choices 

• Manage stress and maintain healthy habits 

• Stay connected to peers and teachers 

• Build self-confidence and agency 

Flourishing, agency, and balance reinforce one another. Students who have a sense of agency and wellbeing are more engaged; students who are engaged learn better and feel fulfilled; and students who feel fulfilled flourish as learners, teammates, artists, leaders, and community members. 

Ultimately, balance is what ensures students reach the future healthy, motivated, and confident enough to take on meaningful work. Through intentional design, diverse experiences, and supportive relationships, WAB helps students develop the habits and mindsets that support success today and, in the years ahead. 

This year, through our Innovation Series, in collaboration with Stephen Taylor, our Director of Innovation, we’ll be sharing stories and examples of what innovation looks like across WAB. We’ll share stories from classrooms, examples from alumni, and insights from global partners. Our hope is that together, we can build a clearer picture of how innovation at WAB helps our students become better learners and prepared for life beyond WAB.