For years, mental health was discussed and dealt with behind closed doors here in the community and throughout the country. But when the Jefferson Series brought actress Mariel Hemingway to town in October 2015, the curtain surrounding the stigma of mental illness fell.
“Because the community brought it front and center, it made it safe for us to start a public conversation,” says Michael Sawyers, superintendent of New Albany-Plain Local Schools.
“We’ve been doing these things for a long time,” says Assistant Superintendent Marilyn Troyer, on mental health programs and initiatives within the school district. “But it was Hemingway’s lecture on mental illness that really galvanized the focus.”
Thanks to Hemingway’s discussion, the growing opioid epidemic in Ohio and donations from community members for increased mental health awareness, the Well-Being Initiative was born.
Initiative with a Purpose
The purpose of the Well-Being Initiative has been to “develop resources to empower our entire community, to have open and honest dialogue, and to have conversations about how these troubles exist,” says Sawyers.
“From our specific lens as a school district, we’re participating in this dialogue, but we clearly have the student focus,” he says. “We have to talk about how we can help you, as a student, grow up and navigate through this thing called life and to figure out how to give you the resources that are going to help you both mentally and physically.”
Sawyers and Troyer both emphasize that, in order for students to achieve and grow inside and outside of the classroom, they need to ensure that students have a healthy well-being.
With motivation from the Well-Being Initiative, New Albany schools have developed three main portions of well-being for their students: prevention for drugs and alcohol exposure, education on social skills, and support for mental health resources.
An Adolescent Focus
The main focus of the Well-Being Initiative has been at the middle school and high school levels in alliance with the struggles associated with that age group.
“The Well-Being Initiative is focusing on upstream work where we focus on the strengths that students can draw upon, both within themselves, families, schools and community,” says Troyer. “Then, to help them build on those resources and strengths to cope with the struggles that we all face at one time or another in our lives.”
The Sources of Strength program underscores this upstream work. Implemented two years ago, this peer-led program helps students identify the positive aspects of their lives and teaches them how to use these strengths as strategies. The peer-to-peer interaction creates a relaxed and comfortable environment for students to help one another navigate potential life problems.
“We’re proud of our work. We’re doing what we believe is in the best interest of kids every single day." - Michael Sawyers, superintendent of NAPLS.
Additionally, the school district has implemented Signs of Suicide. This program provides students with information on how to prevent, as well as to deal with, suicidal thoughts. The school actively uses a screening tool on students to help assess their mental health. If any student shows signs of suicide, he or she is immediately offered assistance and guidance to help deal with such thoughts in a positive way.
Besides these overt mental health programs, the school district has established in-school and after-school programs to help foster well-being within a student’s everyday routine. For instance, Coping 10.1 is a 12-week health class that works off of Sources of Strength and helps provide preventive tools. There are also a variety of after-school programs that promote similar aspects of well-being, including ROCKS or the Men’s Club.
The Results
With the help of the community, New Albany schools have been able to go the extra mile in terms of students’ well-being development.
“We currently have two prevention clinicians from Concord Counseling Services and three mental health specialists through the Educational Service Center of Ohio that are available on campus full-time,” says Troyer.
“I think we’re fortunate because we are doing more than most,” says Sawyers. “We have some external partners and resources to help lift this initiative up to and say, ‘It matters, and it matters a lot.’”
The Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County (ADAMH) has been one of these supportive partners to New Albany. Along with the five clinicians and specialists, ADAMH is now funding a drug and alcohol counselor for the high school. Sawyers says the district is receiving these grants because of the amount of work it’s doing for well-being and because it’s using these resources wisely and effectively.
In light of its work, the school was asked to host a luncheon on campus as part of Gov. John Kasich’s State of the State Tour on March 6 to represent Franklin Country’s example of mental health support. The Well-Being Initiative has now gained New Albany statewide recognition.
“We’re proud of our work. We’re doing what we believe is in the best interest of kids every single day. Putting students first is what we’re here to do,” says Sawyers. “It’s about having an open and honest dialogue about the fact that we need to help create resources to support our kids and to support our community. It’s hard work, but it’s the right work.”
Alex Curran-Cardarelli is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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