Student mental health is the focus of a week-long effort underway at Veterans Memorial High School.
That’s because students see other students hurting, and student council members at the high school want to do something about it.
“It’s a very impactful project we’re trying to pull off here,” said Euneece Olbes, a senior student council member at VMHS. “Because you never know who needs help with their mental health.”
Throughout the week, students can take part in activities designed to relieve stress during the school day, like making different arts and crafts, playing board games, spending time with a therapy dog or just getting some sound advice before they head off to college.
It’s all in an effort to educate students on how they can cope and deal with feelings of stress or anxiety.
“Throughout the school day a lot of students have stress and they have lots of work along with AP (advanced placement) courses and dual-credit (classes),” said Zachary Sepulveda, a sophomore student council member at the high school.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says one in every four to five students will deal with a mental illness in their lifetime.
But this week is a reminder to these students that they are not alone.
“I think mental health awareness is something we should be spreading everywhere, and not just a school activity but in our whole lives,” said Olbes.
By the way, this was the first-ever student mental health awareness week at the high school. It’s part of the student council’s state service project that focuses on a student’s mental health and their well-being. They’ve been planning for this week since the summer, and say they hope to do something similar again next year.
