TWIN FALLS – The Twin Falls School District has already taken additional steps this year to try to address the importance of mental health by introducing a student and family assistance program.
The aim of the program is to discuss any issues that K-12 children may face in or out of school by offering them and their families free counseling sessions.
However, now the students at Canyon Ridge High School have taken it a step further and are hosting their own Mental Health Awareness Week that their classmates can participate in.
The district and staff have taken note and are proud to see these children take their own initiative and approach mental health in whatever way they see fit.
“It’s really cool to see 24 of our students really grab this opportunity,” said Kasey Teske, Principal of Canyon Ridge High School. this.”
The Riverhawk Student Strong Committee spearheads this program. On Tuesday, the group of students conducted their second activity of the week, “Chalk in the Yard”, where they were able to spread positive messages to their classmates by writing them on the sidewalk.
“Affirmations, encouraging words because this area is very pedestrianized or has none at all, so if you walk through this alone you can read what you see and think about it,” said Ella Oberg, a senior in Canyon Ridge, president of the student body and chair of the Riverhawk Student Strong Committee. “If you walk around with a group of people it will hopefully spark conversations. “
The mental health of students has always been the primary focus of this organization. However, some students feel that the need for this club this year has been magnified with the events of the past year and a half.
“It was very hard on a lot of people, and we saw a lot of cases where people really couldn’t find a reason to continue and they really needed this support group,” said Michael Gill, Riverhawk member. . Strong Student Committee. “This is what we aim to do. “
Other activities are planned throughout this week. On Wednesday, students will collect donations for a local youth therapy organization, A Chance 4 Change. On Friday, there will be a panel between students and adults such as doctors, therapists and even city council members to discuss issues students may face and the resources available.
Perhaps the event most students look forward to is Thursday, where students can sign a huge pledge poster.
“As each student passes, they’re going to sign their name on the paper and they’ll have a yellow ribbon tied around their wrist,” Oberg said. “So at the end of the day every student should have their yellow ribbon on their wrist and you can walk down the halls and see that, oh that person signed the pledge, they pledge to make this place a best place for me and my sanity.
For those who participate in the program, they hope this peer-talking approach will have a greater impact, rather than hearing it from an authoritative figure.
“I feel like some students, when we get all this stuff from administration and staff, feel like they really don’t understand what they’re feeling,” said Gill. “But coming from another peer or another student or their friends helps them know that they are understood, that we have the same problems and that we can all overcome them together.
While the administration hopes that students appreciate and understand their efforts, they also see the value of students discussing issues with each other.
“They trust their friends,” Teske said. “I hope they trust adults as well, but sometimes it just gets better from peer to peer.”
