The topic of teen mental health has gained visibility in the past couple of years, with some health organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics declaring a national state of emergency in children’s mental health.
While the pandemic and the increased pervasiveness of social media like Facebook in recent years have certainly impacted the mental health of people of all ages, the situation has been worsening among teens for years now. Mountain View High School alone has lost three students to suicide in the past five years.
This is Mental Health Awareness week at Mountain View High, which seeks to bring awareness to what mental illness looks like and how to deal with it. The event is hosted annually by the Ambassadors at Mountain View High, but this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is the first to culminate in an Out of the Darkness suicide prevention walk. Open to the community, it is scheduled 5:30 p.m. Friday on high school’s track, 3535 Truman Ave.
“We are a community in the face of a mental health crisis, and we have lost students to suicide in recent years,” said Sydney Fung, president of Mountain View High’s Ambassadors. “So it’s critical for us to come together and unite in the name of suicide prevention and mental health awareness.”
The Ambassadors collaborated with their adviser and teacher Lauren Camarillo, Mountain View Los Altos High School District wellness coordinator William Blair and school therapists to plan campus activities throughout the week aimed at helping students connect with one another and learn about the resources available to them. One lunchtime activity has students creating an iceberg mural where they can write something about themselves that others don’t notice at first glance.
“It’s symbolic of how, as students, we sometimes just see each other as classmates and not individuals,” Fung said. “Everyone has a multifaceted identity. It’s really important for us to be able to recognize that.”
Navigating the storm
A mental health student panel is scheduled, where students will share their experiences and therapists will facilitate the discussion.
“There are several goals for the week:one is to encourage students to reach out and show them where and when they can receive support. We also want to build a sense of self-care for students,” Blair said. “We want to be able to provide students with all the tools they need to travel upstream during a metaphorical storm – the oar, the boat, the life jacket – so that when waters get rocky, they will know how to navigate the storm.”
The week will cap off with the Out of the Darkness Walk, a gathering dedicated to suicide prevention and building community. Students, parents, staff and other members of the community are invited to take part in the evening, which in addition to walking will include information tables from partner mental health organizations, speakers, performances and a sunset lantern-lighting ceremony to end the night.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Out of the Darkness Walks can give people the courage to open up about their own connections to the cause and provide a platform to speak more honestly about mental health. Many families use events like these to grieve the loss of a loved one to suicide and to connect with others who have experienced a similar loss.
“It’s very important that we remember and honor the students we have lost,” Blair said.
Mental Health Awareness Week is not the only way MVLA addresses the mental health concerns of students. Fung also has consulted with the MVLA Board of Trustees on ideas for improving wellness at district schools. She advocated for a more diverse group of therapists at Mountain View High and for teachers to adopt more accessible homework policies.
“We wanted to make sure that the mental health resources that are offered reflect the needs of our student population, whether that be in terms of race or gender identity or sexuality,” Fung said. “We wanted people that our students could connect with, and we have thankfully already seen that implemented.”
Anecdotally, Fung has noticed that many Mountain View High teachers have adapted their homework policies to be more accepting of students who need extra time or help.
Overall, Fung hopes that Mental Health Awareness Week makes students, staff, parents and the wider community consider how they relate to mental health issues.
“Our initiative is for Mountain View High students, but it should also reflect the ideals of what we want our community to be,” Fung said. “I think everybody will struggle with their mental health at some point or another, so it’s really important that we have these resources available not only for our student population, but the community as well.”
To register for the Out of the Darkness Walk and for more information, visit url.mvhs.io/outofdarkness.
