One of the biggest steps we've taken is making sure we have a group of students who are very good at identifying and understanding their emotions, and the emotions of others. They meet with our counselors and other student groups to talk positively about not only the experiencing of emotions, but the processing of emotions in a healthy way. Through positive and negative things that might happen in the day-to-day life of middle and high school aged students. And I think our biggest successes have been in hearing students speak positively about the progress they are making in their awareness of the emotions they are experiencing.
As school leaders, we must be mindful of educating the whole child. I helped to integrate teen mental health first aid training for students through the National Council of Mental Wellbeing. This program has helped to destigmatize the discussions around mental health while providing our students with a toolkit to assist a peer in crisis. Over the past three years, I have helped to oversee the training of almost 800 students. In addition to the tMHFA training, I have integrated Mindfulness training and hosted an Annual Wellness Fair. All the programs are designed to provide students with resources, strategies, and an understanding of the importance of our mental well-being. My mission is to destigmatize the narrative surrounding mental health so students can better navigate and manage their mental well-being and achieve success in whatever they put their minds to. One success story was from my work in my previous role as Assistant Principal. During one of the tMHFA trainings, a student shared her mental health struggle with her counselor. She was a transfer student who had always done well academically. However, she struggled to make connections and fell behind academically while trying to acclimate to a new school during a year with COVID restrictions. As she opened up, it became apparent that her parents did not acknowledge her mental health struggles as part of their culture. The program provided her with a better understanding of her feelings, and with the assistance of her counselor, we could articulate the student's mental health concerns and gain the parents' support in providing the needed aid to the student. She soon began counseling, and within months, it was like she was a brand new student. She has recently been accepted into the Rutgers Pre-Med program. I could not be more proud of how far she has come and what the future has in store for her.