As students navigate the demands of academic and personal growth, schools are increasingly emphasizing the importance of wellness and mental health. At SCHS, this focus is reflected through the efforts of teachers, staff and dedicated programs offered to students.
Physical education teacher Brett Hall defined wellness as a concept with different layers, mentioning how a healthy mindset makes one feel safe.
“Wellness is somebody succeeding, thriving, feeling good in their own skin. All the things you would think that makes somebody feel comfortable in an environment,” Hall said. “You have your emotional well-being, your physical well-being and your overall health, so there’s many different areas of wellness.”
Due to the complexity of health and self-care, Hall emphasized the importance of having a balance and how he models this in his daily life. Hall also expressed the significance of building trust between teachers and students.
“I feel like that is one of the most important messages we can have as teachers, is that we fully practice what we preach. We are into our subjects, and we’re very passionate about it,” Hall said.
Hall emphasized that teachers, as trusted adults, provide valuable support to students. He highlighted the significance of having important conversations that foster meaningful discussions between students and teachers.
“To really understand the complexity behind each student, I think that conversations are needed because that’s going to support how we can help them with education and help them plan for their education in the future, and at the same time, help the full child or the full student with their wellness,” Hall said.
Community, health and outreach worker Jhoanna Arias also believes that teachers on campus are a support system available for students.
“Teachers are the ones that see you every day. They can see the need,” Arias said.
Additionally, Hall mentioned the importance of addressing students’ emotional well-being and creating an environment where differences are celebrated rather than divided.
“The real thing we need to be able to figure out is, how do we protect teens a little bit more from having to deal with such harsh emotions,” Hall said. “Our differences make us stronger, as opposed to pulling us apart.”
Arias, who is part of the team that runs the Wellness Center on campus, specified that to prepare to help students in all ways possible, it is important to keep in mind who the resources are for and cater to that specific group.
“We really would like to focus our work based on what the student needs are,” Arias said. “We do have a lot of regular students that come in and give us feedback, but we’re always open to more feedback.”
Recognizing that wellness encompasses both the body and mind, Arias noted the relevance of making healthy lifestyle choices important in one’s day-to-day activities.
“The same way, we are conscious of our physical health by exercising, attempting to eat better and sleep better, we have to be mindful of our mental health as well,” Arias said. “It’s really what keeps us going day by day. It’s (mental health) something we all share in common and something we should all strive to care for.”
Wellness Center
The Wellness Center is a key resource on campus, open on school days from 8:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Students can stop by the center any time as long as their teacher is aware, or they have a pass from the front office. To reach the Wellness Center, students can walk-in, meet with their academic counselor to be transferred over, or sign the QR code that can be found around campus. The Wellness Center has services online as well, which can be reached on their website and Instagram.
By having resources such as the SCHS Wellness Center, Arias mentioned the benefits that are available for students whenever they need it. She highlighted the small but important perks students commonly use when they come to the Wellness Center.
“Sometimes all you need is a short 10-minute power nap,” Arias said. “I have blankets. We have the bean bags. Grab a cookie, eat. Take a quick 10-minute power nap and head back to class.”
Wellness Coordinator Uwey Belletto noted that students have many options and can choose between resources of their liking.
“It’s not like you try it and it doesn’t work out then you’re stuck with or committed to it,” Belletto said. “You’re the agent of your services, so if it’s not working out for you, we can always try something else, or find you other resources.”
Belletto emphasized that the Wellness Center aims to meet students where they are, offering flexibility and different approaches to address their needs.
“If they’re (students) having a hard day, asking to check in with the supportive adult, or if they need more ongoing services, we’re kind of the one stop shop for that,” Belletto said.
To Be Honest
To Be Honest is a 24/7 virtual counseling platform students can use as a resource whenever needed. Since the Wellness Center is only open for counseling during the school day, TBH allows for counseling all hours of the day. The online experience contains many different help options from texting to simulations for students to try out.
Belletto explained the wide variety of resources that can be found on the virtual platforms, highlighting that going in-person to the Wellness Center is not the only option to receive support.
“They have tool boxes for anxiety, depression, stress, relationship issues. They have podcasts, interactive games and simulations,” Belletto said. “They even have sample recordings of therapy sessions, so if you were struggling with anxiety or depression and you have never been to therapy before and are curious about what that looked like, you can actually go on and listen to a sample session with someone.”
Arias added that language barriers are common at school, making it hard for the wellness staff to reach all students who seek help.
“You can also translate these services there to different languages. All of us are bilingual here, but none of us speak, for example, Urdu,” Arias said. “If a student needs help, they can find a provider that speaks Urdu on TBH.”
For students who are new to counseling, Belletto encourages them to try out TBH as it is virtual and simple to use.
“I know it’s not in person, but I think it is a really easy, low risk way to kind of dip your toe into mental health services and support,” Belletto said.
If you are concerned about yourself or a friend in need of professional support, reach out to:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 24/7 Call or Text: 988
- Crisis Text Line | Text HOME to 741741
- Create an account with To Be Honest for 24/7 virtual counseling
- Talk to a trusted adult whether it be a doctor, teacher, parent, or school counselor
- Go on to suicidepreventionlifeline.org and click “Get Help”
- If urgent, call 911
