International Journal of Social Sciences and Education ISSN: 2223-4934 Volume: 2 Issue: 1 January 2012 74 International Journal of Social Sciences and Education ISSN: 2223-4934 Volume: 2 Issue: 1 January 2012 An Exploration of Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Personal Adolescent Wellness and their Connectedness to School By 1 Kecia M. Ashley, 2 Leslie Sturdivant Ennis, 3 Angela Owusu-Ansah 1 Trussville City Schools, Assistant Principal, Hewitt-Trussville High School, Alabama 35173 2 Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education and Professional Studies, Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, Alabama 35229, l 3 Associate Dean and Associate Professor, School of Education, Elon University, 2105 Campus Box, Elon, North Carolina. Abstract Exploration of students’ perceptions of personal adolescent wellness and connectedness to school is important in providing insight and information for enhancement of currently existing programs and in encouraging the implementation of programs that may further assist in promoting the healthy development of adolescents. Providing professionals with further knowledge about what constructs of wellness have the most positive impact on which dimensions of connectedness to school will enable them to make informed decisions about how best to work with students in their adolescent years to ensure a healthy school experience. This study revealed that a relationship exists between an urban adolescent’s level of personal wellness and school connectedness. The adolescents’ school experiences and the belief that their educators care about them as individuals and as student learners impacts the adolescents’ state of balance among social relationships, intellectual development, and emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness. Keywords: Adolescent Wellness, Personal Wellness, School Connectedness Introduction Urban middle schools, particularly underperforming schools in the United States are concerned about adolescents’ personal wellbeing, connectedness to school, and school success overall. Adolescence provides a period of great opportunity but even greater risk. With continued concern about school violence, bullying, dropout rates, safety, and mental health, schools across the nation are focusing on measures that will ensure a positive school experience and a healthy transition into adulthood. Recent studies have noted numerous problems facing adolescents by examining the risks of teen suicide (Borowsky, Ireland, & Resnick, 2001; Thoumbourou & Gregg, 2002), substance abuse (Wilson, Syme, Boyce, & Battistich, 2002), violence (Riner & Saywell, 2002; Thomas & Smith, 2004), psychological health concerns (Hall-Lande, Eisenberg, Christenson, & Neumark-Sztainer, 2007), dropout rates (Heckman & LaFontaine, 2008; Laird, Lew, Debell, & Chapman, 2001), bullying