Indy Standard

Brookside School 54, part of the Indianapolis Public Schools system, will soon open a wellness lounge for teachers. The initiative is made possible through a partnership with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and iHeartImpact. The lounge aims to support educators’ physical and mental health by providing a dedicated space equipped with massage chairs, treadmills, medicine balls, and comfortable couches.

Brookside serves students from Pre-K through fifth grade and has previously focused on student and family well-being. This new effort extends that focus to teachers. Anthem’s broader involvement at Brookside includes funding the school’s food pantry, supporting nutrition education programs, and ensuring students receive necessary exams and glasses.

“Teaching is one of the most rewarding but also most demanding professions,” said Principal Shauna Lipscomb. “This wellness lounge is more than a room. It’s a reminder that our teachers’ health matters. When our staff is supported, they are better able to give their best to our students every day.”

The wellness lounge will be set up on Thursday, September 25th with help from volunteers including members of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever team. Volunteers will paint, assemble equipment, and decorate the space before an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2:45 p.m., which will feature Principal Lipscomb along with Beth Keyser, President of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and Chris Welsh, President of Impact Fitness Foundation.

“At IMPACT Fitness, we believe in supporting those who support our youth,” Welsh said. “The new teachers’ wellness space provides the staff of Brookside a place to not only move, but breathe, relax, and recharge!”

Lipscomb emphasized that these efforts highlight the belief that strong schools start with healthy people: “At Brookside School 54, that vision is now taking shape with one treadmill, massage chair, and teacher at a time,” she said.