Pathway to Partnership: Bringing Grief Support to Fenway High School

Students at Fenway High School are now participating in a school-based grief peer support group — all receiving grief-specific support for the first time.

That outcome didn’t happen overnight. It followed a clear pathway.

At The Children’s Room, our goal is to expand students’ access to grief support services by bringing grief support groups directly into schools. Most partnerships begin in one of two ways: a professional development session or presentation for school staff, or a grief awareness event that engages students and educators.

Both are designed to build understanding, strengthen confidence, and lay the groundwork for a school-based grief peer support group.

For Fenway High School, the first step was a district-level professional development session in February 2025, where more than 80 Boston Public Schools social workers learned about how grief impacts students, strategies for schools to provide support for children and teens who have experienced loss, and the importance of school-based grief peer support. From there, school professionals attended a TCR orientation in September 2025 to explore what partnership could look like.

In the fall, Fenway partnered with TCR to host a Children’s and Teens’ Grief Awareness event. More than 80 students participated. Flyers about the group were shared, and a display of student-made hearts helped raise awareness across the school.

That steady progression led to the next step: launching a school-based grief peer support group serving 9 students—none of whom had previously received grief-specific support.

“My pathway to partnership with The Children’s Room began at a professional development workshop in February 2025, where I gained a deeper understanding of the impact of grief on students,” shared Allyssa Pontes, School Social Worker at Fenway High School. “Through the orientation and a Grief Awareness event that engaged many students, I felt confident and prepared to co-lead a group and continue strengthening grief support within our school community.”

This is what the Pathway to Partnership is designed to do: support school professionals through training, build awareness among students, and ultimately increase access to grief-specific support within schools.

We look forward to continuing this work with educators who want to strengthen grief support in their communities.

Interested in bringing grief support to your school?

Schools typically begin with a professional development session or a grief awareness event — both designed to build toward a school-based grief peer support group. Schools are already beginning to plan for the 2026-27 academic year! To learn more about partnering with The Children’s Room, contact us at info@childrensroom.org.