Inside Teen Minds: Mental Health at the Park
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Humans of Our Story, Travel Destinations P-CEP Our Fight See page B7 See page B3 See page B1 Serving the students and staff of the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park Friday,ThePerspective March 15, 2019 Volume 131 Issue 4 Canton, MI the-perspective.org Inside Teen Minds: Mental Health at the Park by Cameron Lindsay “Every kid here is 14-year-old girls showing signs of depression, it’s Editor-in-Chief worth it. So, if you are now beyond doubt that this problem is reaching concerned about some- crisis point.” body, come tell us. If it’s too much for you to However, this phenomenon is not just found carry - let us carry it let us see what we can do in the UK. According to the Center for Disease with all the resources we have. We want to make Control, Americans, from the ages 10 to 24, two- sure that kid has those resources, that they have thirds (10 million people) are undiagnosed or that outlet that opportunity,” said Barbara Lehm- untreated for a mental illness. According to the ann, Canton counselor. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for Recently, The Perspective conducted a survey 1 in every 5 children and teens (13 to 18 years with of the the Park’s student body and received old) have or will have a serious mental illness. 591 responses. Data collected from the survey According to the NAMI’s findings the Park has showed 76 percent of the students described the roughly 1,222 students who could or will strug- emotional environment of the Park negatively. gle with a mental illness from a student popula- They described it with words like: stressed, tir- tion of 6112. ing/exhausting, negative/toxic and depressing/ “There are all varieties [of mental health is- sad. Furthermore, the student body indicated sues]. There are mentally healthy people here and that a huge amount of their stress comes from people that struggle -- I think we have all spec- school (79 percent). On the other hand, 68.8 trums of mental health issues here at the Park,” percent of students surveyed said they did feel said Nan Hansen, Plymouth counselor. supported at the Park. The survey asked students to describe what The ‘Millenium Cohort Study’ founded in the make them feel stressed, anxious, and worried. United Kingdom by the Centre of Longitudinal These responses ranged from worries about Study and the National Children’s Bureau found homework to loneliness. School was a major 1 in 7 14-year-olds suffer from depression in stressor with concerns about workload, home- Sept. of 2017. The study found that 24 percent work, testing and overcrowding. In contrast, of 14-year-old girls and 9 percent of 14-year-old 21 percent of those stressors were personal or boys-suffer from depression. In an article by outside of school. These responses were about the National Children’s Bureau, Chief Execu- worry, failure, loneliness and family. However, tive of the National Children’s Bureau, Anna students said they did feel supported at the Park Feuchtwang, said, “this study of thousands of and responded with feeling the majority of sup- children gives us the most compelling evidence port by counselors. available about the extent of mental ill-health 591 students responded to the Perspective survey about mental among children in the UK. With a quarter of Story continued on A2 health. Charts indicate student responses. The Challenge of Challenge Day “Challenge Day take time to evaluate.” erful experience of Challenge Day is hard Jennifer Bennett, Plymouth social stud- by Cora Wallen was one of the Something else brought up by Plym- to maintain. ies teacher, uses “daily challenges” with Editor-in-Chief best high school outh, Canton and Salem counselors was Despite all of the factors for not having her students to continue the message of experiences I’ve had. It allowed everyone the lack of follow-up after the event. Challenge Day this year, teachers, admin- Challenge Day. in the whole room to open up, and under- “It creates a level of emotion that some- istration and counselors all agreed that “The ‘daily challenges’ are the direct stand that they are not alone, and never times is difficult to manage in a school it is a beneficial program that should be result of my Challenge Day experience,” will be. I’ll never forget it,” said Plymouth automatically because there’s emotions brought back in the future. All empha- she said. senior, Madeline Sternberg. and feelings that sized on how Chal- Proposed solutions by the club and Ben- Challenge Day is an event focused on really need to go lenge Day grows nett include providing a follow-up exit slip building social and emotional health and to outside sup- empathy. after the event, regularity rotating par- fostering connections between individals. port and that’s Steckel said, “With ticipant grades for students and teachers Prior to the 2018-2019 school year, this the hard part; knowledge comes to avoid many repeats, working with the workshop took place at P-CEP for the past that there is a understanding. If we Challenge Day program to find funding, four years, usually in October or Novem- lack of the follow don’t allow learning amongst other ideas. ber. Due to various reasons, Challenge up piece,” said about other people, There are also other plans similar to Day did not occur this year. Barbara Lehm- we lose the chance Challenge Day’s message, such as showing According to administration, one of the ann, Canton to build empathy. the movie “Angst” to students, teachers reasons is budgetary. The cost of Chal- counselor. Challenge Day cre- and counselors. lenge Day in past years is comprised of In the past years ates the opportunity A handful of the counselors, admin- factors including the pay for the two of the event, there to learn about other istration and teachers believed that the facilitators, their travel and lodging, sub- was no direct Canton Challenge Day 2015 people, so you can students should be involved in getting it stitute teacher pay for the teachers that follow-up piece. Photo courtesy of Becky Kraft have the knowledge, back, while others did not. participate and other costs. The total ends An additional gain understanding “I think this needs to come to the kids I up at $18,763.68. factor for the lack of Challenge Day this and therefore build empathy.” think it is for the student body to say ‘we Another reason, according to Plymouth year, according to administration and “The human connection with Chal- want this’ ‘we need this back’” said Lehm- Principal Cheri Steckel, is the emotional counseling is the lack of a “ripple effect” lenge Day is what is so great about it. It’s ann. toll on teacher coordinators who partici- and spreading the message around the face to face, let’s get real and take down Bennett offered an alternate point, pate yearly. school. the walls,” said Jennifer Dealy, Plymouth saying, “The purpose of the Students for “The event is very mentally exhausting “It would be great for clubs like Link counselor. Social Justice Club’s involvement was to for the staff coordinators involved, so we Crew to get involved so it can ripple out Some teachers and student-led clubs use them as a grassroots effort to mobilize took a year pause to evaluate the effective- and other kids can reap the benefits of an like the Students for Social Justice club students to do things on their own, but it ness of Challenge Day,” she said, and con- amazing program,” said Steckel. brainstormed potential solutions to the requires more than that.” tinued, “We always thought of bringing it Counselors had similar thoughts, and issues that prevented Challenge Day from Only time will tell if Challenge Day [Challenge Day] back, but we needed to noted on how the momentum of the pow- happening this year. returns to P-CEP. Index News.....A1-A3 Opinion.....A4-A5 Sports.....B1-B2 Entertainment.....B6 Features.....B3-B5 Travel.....B7 The Perspective - March 15, 2019 the-perspective.org A2 News Inside Teen Minds: Mental Health at the Park continued from A1 “We want to be that go to person you,” said Lehmann. The Counsel- relationships,” said Jennifer Dealy, for you and doing everything we ing department has created or will Plymouth counselor. Help Information: can to make those connections,” soon create ‘zen rooms’ in each one Similarly, Erin Demarest, Can- If you are feeling overwhelmed or are struggling, please said Lehmann. of the buildings for students to go ton counselor said, “no one does communicate with your counselor, Assistant Princi- Students also communicated feel- to when stressed or anxious. The anything alone; no one is successful pal or another trusted adult. Contact information for ing supported academically by hav- Department also manages and cre- alone; we need people - you need counselors and Assistant Principals with their assigned ing resources like Math Lab, and the ates ‘Mental Health Week’ to help people in your corner. Talking is caseload can be found here: http://www.pccsk12.com/ Writing Center. The students who ease stress for students the week one way to get someone in your home/showdocument?id=17255 indicated a lack of support from before midterms. These days consist corner.” teachers overwhelmingly identified of music, lunch activities, positive When we were discussing Mental If you are in crisis call the Suicide Hotline: the homework load and lack of un- messages around the school, yoga Health at the Park Gretchen Sartori, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) derstanding of their lives outside of and massages, and petting a therapy Plymouth counselor had one thing school as primary issues.