Adolfo Camarillo High School, Finds That the Physical Setting Is So Important

2019-2020 Newsletter

OXNARD UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT High Expectations and Powerful Futures for EVERY Student!

Visit us online at www.oxnardunion.org OUHSD: 309 S. K St, Oxnard CA 93030/ (805) 385-2500 1 Message From The Superintendent

Dear Students and Families: Life as a high school student was stressful enough before the COVID-19 pandemic shook our world. Even before the pandemic, we knew that life itself and all its stressors posed a challenge to our students’ mental health. That is why the Oxnard Union High School District introduced Student Intervention Specialists on all of our campuses. The SIS team is there to help students deal with the mental and physical stresses of life as teenagers, and, yes, to deal with the additional stress of remote learning and lack of socialization for our students. The mental health of teens is a major national challenge. Studies show that about 10 million students across the country, ages 13–18, require professional help to deal with their mental health conditions. The most common mental health diagnoses among chil- Superintendent: dren and adolescents are anxiety, depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Penelope DeLeon (ADHD), and bipolar disorder. Half of all psycho-emotional conditions begin before the age of 14, and 75 percent by the age of 24 and often begin to materialize in the classroom. It could be that a once-successful student is now failing, or a student simply cannot sit still or control the urge to disrupt a class. Maybe a once active student-athlete appears to have lost interest, or a student who has always been something of a loner now talks about doing harm to himself or to others. “One in five students in this country need treatment,” says Dr. David Anderson, senior director of the Institute’s ADHD and Behavior Disorders Center. “We are seeing a real movement to properly and systematically tackle this crisis, because what these students don’t need is a ‘quick fix.’” Dr. Anderson notes that research shows that a system based on evidence and a whole school approach engages more students academically. Students who receive positive behavioral health interventions see improvements on a range of behaviors related to academic achievement, beyond letter grades or test scores, said Dr. Anderson. OUHSD is fortunate to have a talented group of SIS team members whom you will meet in this newsletter. We have partnered with several private and public mental health agencies to bring to our students the counseling and professional help they need in order to succeed. In addition to the addition of our SIS team, this has also been a big year for OUHSD. On Feb. 12, we broke ground on Del Sol High School, the county’s newest high school. Our Measure A monies are also funding dozens of mod- ernization projects in progress as we speak…from secure lobbies, to new roofs, to new turf fields to brand new HVAC systems. Measure A is making sure all our students have the buildings and infrastructure in place for success. We thank OUHSD voters once again for approving Measure A. OUHSD Administrators

OUHSD Board of Trustees Superintendent of Schools Assist. Superintendent, H.R. Karen M. Sher, President Dr. Penelope De Leon Dr. Deborah Salgado Dr. Gary Davis, Vice President Beatriz R. Herrera, Clerk Assist. Superintendent, Ed. Services Assist. Superintendent, Business Services Dr. Steve Hall, Member Dr. Thomas McCoy Mr. Jeff Weinstein Wayne Edmonds, Member

Newsletter design and translation: Rafael Cahue (SIS RMHS) Writer: Tim Gallager

2 OUHSD Takes Student Mental Health Head On

A student is being bullied both in-person and online. With nowhere else to turn and nothing to look forward to, this student writes a social media post saying she wants to take her own life. Another student faces life as a teenage mother–not because of her own pregnancy but because her own mother is dying and about to leave her in charge of three younger siblings. A third student is paralyzed with anxiety. He is excellent academically. He excels in extra curricular activities and volun- teers in a local homeless shelter. But he feels it’s not enough to get into the college of his choice. He is wracked with anx- ious feelings about being denied access to the college of his choice. These are the students who often slipped through the cracks in prior years. The growing number of responsibilities that high school academic counselors have, do not always provide enough time to address more intense social- emotional issues. Mental health community based organizations did not always have a school based liaison, therefore students did not always have access to the mental health system. But now the Oxnard Union High School District, as part of its Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports program, has installed Student Intervention Specialists (SIS) on all campuses. Think of them like triage officials for student mental health. Teachers and counselors are still the first line of de- fense for student support, while the SIS focus on more intense Tier II social emotional concerns. They help students work through everything from stress, online bullying to thoughts of suicide. James Koenig, the director of student support services at OUHSD, says the challenges the SIS team faces fall into five major categories:

1. Emotional issues among the students (problems with other students including harassment) 2. Home/family conflict 3. Academics 4. Home situations including foster youth, migrant students, homelessness or students moving because of family in the military 5. Substance Abuse (including the rise in vaping) Our team has an open door policy and 80 percent of the time, they are doing direct services with students,” Koenig said. But most campuses have professional resources on campus from outside public and private agencies to which they can refer students who need additional care. The program is coming along at the right time. Rafael Cahue, SIS at Rio Mesa High School, said, “When this position was created, some people at the schools thought we would only be serving a very small number of students. But within a month at RMHS, I had a line of students in tears outside my office”. Caroline Gonella, SIS at Rancho Campana High School, said, “Data will show that in many ways kids are healthier than they were–drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy. What is becoming exponentially worse is their mental health. Girls have high- er rates of depression, anxiety, suicide ideation.” Asked what’s different about teenagers today than their parents’ generation, most members of the SIS team answered in two words: “Social media.” “There is no turning it off. Students use their phones as an alarm clock, so it is the first thing they see in the morning,” said Elizabeth Tobias, SIS at Condor High School Options Academy. Tobias said, “Students struggle with social skills. The phone makes them isolated.” A small disagreement can lead to a major verbal or physical confrontation due to a social media post. At Rio Mesa, most often these conflicts begin because of what one student says on social media and is then read by hun-

Article continued on following page 3 Continued: OUHSD Takes Student Mental Health Head On dreds of other students, many of which are not even from our school. But Cahue says that when students get together in his office for a Restorative Justice Circle they tend to talk things through. “This is teaching them a lifelong communication skill they may not learn anywhere else.” The situation has changed dramatically in the past few years, said Ester Dominguez, SIS at Pacifica High School. “Remember what it was like when you were in high school in terms of stress and anxiety? Now think of it five times harder. . If we want our students to be successful in life, we have to teach and coach them on taking care of their social and emotional needs as well.” “Our kids have gone through a lot,” said Sara Bustamante, SIS of Hueneme High School. “In addition to all the normal troubles that kids face with drugs, gangs and alcohol, many of these kids are in family situations in which they need to take care of siblings before they are really able to take care of themselves.” Detra Young, SIS at Adolfo Camarillo High School, finds that the physical setting is so important. The Wellness Center at ACHS is painted in soothing colors. There is comfortable seating. Tangible items. Kinetic sand. Stress balls. Allowing students a safe place to de-stress. Oxnard High School’s SIS, Judith Isaac states “students at OHS are learning more about the position and seeking out services. OHS students have also started a mental health awareness group that’s growing. Ivan Kozin at Channel Island High School said, “We have been more effective in our second year. There’s been an increase in the number of parents and students asking for this service. Any student going through a crisis is referred to me. It is slowly growing to be more of a known position.” “If a student is struggling with their mental health, it is likely they will also struggle in other aspects of their life, including their academics,” said Mónica Robles, SIS at Frontier High School. “I take pride in the fact that students know, and share with their friends, that my office is a safe space on campus they can go to when in a mental health crisis.” The SIS team agreed that on each campus, the more that is known about the program, the more popular it becomes. The stigma around mental health lessens. Major Depressive Disorder

What to Watch For: From the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine For a person to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder, physicians generally look for depressed mood or a lack of interest in hobbies or recreational activities. However, in teens, these signs might show up as changes in their grades, a disinterest in friends, or out-of-character irritability. If at least one of those symptoms is present, additional criteria are assessed. Additionally, five out of following seven symptoms are required for diagnosis: • changes in sleep • new onset of guilt • changes in energy level • changes in concentration or task completion • changes in appetite • changes in motivation • thoughts of suicide If a fellow student or your child is exhibiting these signs, consider recommending they see a campus SIS team member. ADOLFO CAMARILLO 4 Detra Young, HIGH SCHOOL At ACHS we want to continue to provide a safe space on-campus for students to access help regulating their emotions and expressing their feelings. The Wellness Center in collaboration with school administrators, counselors, teachers, and staff, helps to provide support to the student's social and emotional wellbeing. The Wellness Center provides students a place to learn appropriate coping strategies, effective ways to communicate, a way to identify support systems and resources, and develop leadership skills. The Wellness Center also provides students with access to trained student peer mentors. Sometimes hearing from someone who is closer in age can be 'Gold.' Not only do our peer mentors provide direct support to students, they also participate in classroom presentations and provide a student's voice to our Wellness Center website and social media sites. Students can visit the website to access videos/ tips on how to cope, our Instagram page for daily tips on how to reduce stressors for well-being and our Twitter to stay connected. Wellness Center website: bit.ly/achswellnesscenter Instagram: @achswellnesscenter Twitter:@achscenter Quote: “The Wellness Center is a perfect place to help bridge the gap between mental health and academics.” Students are able to work towards academic excellence and discover their “authentic self” all while on campus. RANCHO CAMPANA Caroline Gonella, HIGH SCHOOL Rancho Campana is such a unique high school setting with such unique students and faculty. The expectations for students are very high, yet we work to build a culture where mental health is prioritized over academics. Our students present tremendous levels of anxiety and depression, often with an accompanying sense of existential dread, i.e. “why does school even matter and how am I valuable?” We have found that creating multiple tiers of support, beginning with universal celebration and com- mitment to taking care of our mental health with wellness events, peer-to-peer train- ing, and our staff’s belief that we’re all responsible for supporting students’ mental health-to implementing solution-focused short-term counseling and solution-focused SST meetings for students who need a little more intervention, we are really molding an effective system of support within our campus community. With this preventative approach and entire staff buy-in, we’ve significantly reduced the number of students who are experiencing a mental health crisis at school. We do this by getting students the help they need before it gets to that level, as much as possible. We’re data junkies who love running reports and identifying our highest-risk students and almost bombarding them with communication and support. Quote: “RCHS students know I’m there to support their strengths and mitigate their challenges, but they also have their content teachers, club advisors, counselors, and administrators actively expressing an interest and in- vestment in their mental health. We spread the wealth because that’s the best way to maximize our attempts to help students thrive at school and in life.”

HIGH SCHOOL Ivan Kozin, “We are trying to reduce the stigma that youth have regarding mental health. We want students to understand that schools not only provide a safe place for learning, but that there is also a social-emotional support system available if and when faced with life challenges." On social media: “Students strive to have as many followers as possible, even with people they do not know, which unfortunately can lead to problems such as cyber- bullying and rumor spreading. Disruption of sleep and peer pressure are other possible harms of social media. Students need to be responsible on how they use and how much they use social media in order to reduce the possible negative effects" Quote: "Daily first period attendance checks-in are a pri- ority for us. Each morning we stand near the main en- trance gate with our ipads to welcome students, wave to parents and to begin the day for many with possibly the first smile of the day. Students who arrive late are marked tardy, but this allows us to monitor attendance patterns and to start conversations on how to improve. We are constantly looking for new ways on how to best support our students and families as each one needs something different. My goal is to always provide the best for the community of Channel Islands High School" HUENEME HIGH SCHOOL Sara Bustamante, Many of our students face a multitude of challenges at home, including poverty, gangs, substance abuse, stress, and grief. When students are overwhelmed, I help them process their feelings and determine the level of support they need to refer them appropriately. Sometimes students need to meet with me for individual counseling, while others need to participate in small groups, such as our Alcohol and Drug Prevention Group. Regardless of the referral, I meet with students daily and provide a supportive environment where all students feel welcomed and safe. One of our students’ biggest needs is learning to cope with loss. Many do not have the tools to process their grief and utilize unhealthy coping strategies. Therefore, the 9th grade house counselor and I facilitate a Grief Group where we assist students with normalizing the grief process, expressing their emotions, and teaching them healthy coping skills. We also provide them with resources to help them better manage their feelings. In addition, many 9th graders bring middle school conflicts to high school, which sometimes lead to verbal and physical altercations that I help mediate. During these mediation sessions, students are given the opportunity to tell his/her/their side of the story and have his/her/their feelings validated. Many times, students share very personal feelings and experiences that they have never shared before and oftentimes come away with a mutual understanding of one another so they can continue to be successful. Quote: “Ultimately, it is our goal to provide a safe and secure school environment where students feel they be- long and have staff members who believe in them and in whom they can trust and confide.” 6 HIGH SCHOOL Judith Isaac, This school year started off as a very difficult and emotional one. Due to this difficult start, it strengthened not only our school’s solidarity, but the district's determination to increase student mental health support systems. In response, this school year we built district wide crisis teams, which include administrators, counselors, school psychologists and general education teachers. We have also increased our collaboration with community-based organizations to build a strong system of support for our students on our campus. In Addition, in collaboration with OHS students, last year we began a Mental Health Awareness club, which we are hoping to turn into NAMI on campus to bring more awareness to students and reduce the stigma associated with mental health. Any student who comes through my door and makes even small progress is a success story, however one student stood out. She was referred to me by our school nurse due to concerns of self-harm. Although the student was very hesitant about disclosing the reason she went to see the nurse, I took the time to listen, was patient and allowed her the time to finally open up. After some time, she felt safe and a relationship grew to where the student began to work on her underlying issues. A student who was about to fail her senior year, not only graduated, but entered the Military. At graduation, the student told me that the only reason she thought she made it was because “You cared and you asked the tough questions I did not want to answer.” Quote: I am glad our district listened to the students’ needs and created the Student Intervention Specialist (SIS) position. I love what I do and will continue to do it as long as I can.

HIGH SCHOOL Mónica Robles, Each student that enrolls at Frontier HS has a unique story and reason as to why they fell behind academically. Every trimester we conduct a mental health survey to determine the current student needs. From these results, I then work on creating and bringing services on campus to reduce the barriers to access and support students’ social emotional needs. The data shows many of our students are dealing with stress and anxiety. Unfortunately, students sometimes turn to negative ways to cope with these feelings. In the past we have offered support groups on topics such as teen parenting, grief, anger management, drug and alcohol abuse and stress management. We also have a high percentage of students facing homelessness which acts as an additional stressor in their lives. I work closely with these students and their families to help provide them much needed resources. When working with students and their families, my goal is to provide them a safe, welcoming space where we can work collaboratively to eliminate barriers in their life by implementing direct and indi- rect interventions. This includes having honest and sometimes difficult conversations. Quote: “There exists this false narrative about the students at Frontier. These students, my students, are some of the most resilient individuals you could ever meet. Their stories will break your heart and inspire you. It is truly an honor to serve them.” 7 HIGH SCHOOL Rafael Cahue, AKA: Mr. C, On Restorative Justice Practices: “Many of our students have a lot going on at home and they bring those feelings and emotions with them to school. Some of our toughest kids come into my office and sit here crying, sometimes for hours. Some come in here just having had a fight or argument with another student on campus, many times for no real reason.” When provided with a safe place and someone to facilitate the conversations, students are usually able to resolve their differences. They really work it out, sometimes sharing very personal stories and feelings which they may have never shared with anyone else. The results are amazing sometimes! It no longer surprises Mr. C to see these same kids a few days later hanging out together as friends. This year RMHS has also made a concerted effort to support our parents as well. Mr. Cahue is the facilitator for Parent Project and parent support groups on campus. Parent Project is co-facilitated with the Ventura County Probation Department in both English and Spanish and the parent support group is co-facilitated with New Dawn in Spanish.“ We have found that when we provide parents with the right tools and support, our students reap the rewards as communication and relationships at home are mended and solidified.” Quote: “Many of our students do not have the resiliency or family support systems they once did. They need to feel loved, feel connected and feel that you truly care. It is not enough just to be there. The relationship with our students is everything. There's nothing they won’t do for you if they know you care. At RMHS, every teach- er, counselor, administrator, and school personnel is part of our community of student supports.”

OPTIONS ACADEMY Elizabeth Tobias, Students come to Condor High School for various reasons. Many of our students were having a difficult time at the comprehensive sites due to family cir- cumstances, social-emotional concerns, teen parenting, or need a flexible schedule. As the SIS at Condor, I find that every day is different, one minute I find myself helping a student with college enrollment, and the next minute I'm helping a student who is facing a challenging life altering decision. Success story: “I have a student I'm working with whose mother has just passed away from cancer and whose father is housed in jail, out of country. Her older sister is 20 and has a few children of her own. This student has become the mother to her 4 younger siblings. When we first met, the student was in need of money for rent and food, and had been afraid to ask anyone for help for fear that her siblings would be taken away from her. I asked myself how am I going to help her. The student has not been able to breathe or to grieve the loss of her Mother. We walked & talked for an hour and a half. She would talk, cry, talk, cry. I decided the student needed to vent and process a loud before moving on to the next steps of working through these issues. The student needed to be heard and have her feelings validated. That was what she needed most at that moment.” Quote: There are a lot of moving pieces involved for every individual case. You are working with puzzle pieces and trying to fit them all together. It takes collaboration, it helps when you have supportive staff members who are understanding and willing to assist in supporting the student needs". 8 HIGH SCHOOL Ester Dominguez, Using our surrounding resources: Our community (both in and outside of school) has an abundant amount of resources. As the SIS, I take pride in con- necting students and families to critical health and human services available in OUR community. We provide an array of on and off campus assistance; Alcohol and other drug support, mental health services, emergency resources, support groups, restorative justice, peer to peer support, and parent groups just to name a few. We essentially become a hub of social and emotional needs. When resources like this are made available to our families, students thrive! Success story: We had a student who had been in and out of foster care, had lost his caregiver to cancer, and his current guardian suffered a major stroke. The aftermath of all this tragedy left the family homeless, with no resources, and with the 17 year old student to care for his younger brother and caregiver. This led to a drastic drop in grades and behavior issues in the classroom. We were able to connect the family to a county homeless liaison for housing, monthly food assistance services, and mental health care for all three members. Most importantly, the student had weekly check-ins with the SIS where he could learn positive coping skills and have a space where he felt heard. Teachers and coaches also provided support to help get the students back on track. We maximized our resources. Quote: Our job is to make sure our students feel heard, accepted and supported. This line of work is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure, but just as challenging as it may be, it is also so rewarding. I cannot see myself doing anything else.

OXNARD UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 309 S. K St, Oxnard CA 93030 / (805) 385-2500

Adolfo Camarillo High School Frontier High School Pacifica High School 4660 Mission Oaks Blvd, Camarillo CA 93012 545 Airport Way, Camarillo, CA 93010 600 E. Gonzales Rd, Oxnard CA 93036 (805) 389-6407 (805) 389-6450 (805) 278-5000 www.camarillohigh.us www.frontierhigh.us www.pacificahigh.us Principal: Mathew LaBelle Principal: Christine Mahone Principal: Ted Lawrence

Channel Islands High School Oxnard Adult School Rancho Campana High School 1400 Raiders Way, Oxnard CA 93033 1101 W. Second St, Oxnard CA 93030 4235 Mar Vista Dr, Camarillo, CA 93010 (805) 385-2787 (805) 385-2578 (805) 394-4750 www.channelislandshigh.us www.oxnardadulted.org www.ranchocampanahigh.us Principal: Roger Adams Principal: Kathy Greaves Principal: Bryan Martin

Condor High School Oxnard High School Rio Mesa High School 1101 W. Second St, Oxnard CA 93030 3400 W. Gonzales Rd, Oxnard CA 93036 545 Central Ave, Oxnard CA 93036 (805) 385-5885 (805) 278-2907 (805) 278-5500 www.condorhigh.us www.oxnardhigh.us www.riomesahigh.us Principal: Kathy Greaves Principal: Richard Urias Principal: Mark Contreras

Hueneme High School Oxnard Middle College High School 500 W. Bard Rd, Oxnard CA 93033 4000 S. Rose Ave, Oxnard CA 93033 (805)385-2667 (805) 385-2540 www.huenemehigh.us www.oxnardmiddlecollege.us Principal: Adrian Ayala Principal: Maricruz Hernandez