Project: Unit 1: Pet-a-Pup. Unit 2: Art and Dance for Mental Health. Unit 3: Health data and student projects.
Health Topics
Mental Health, Physical Activity, Personal Safety
Specific Health Community Problem
Fundraising and awareness for National Alliance on Mental Illness. Supporting student mental health through dance and art therapy. Supporting student mental health through pet therapy.
Guided Discovery
Students were tasked with researching mental health issues and create projects for the school’s Kindness Week in April and continue into May’s mental health awareness activities. Students used data from the sources below, and were also drive projects from awareness to action. Students researched projects they could do with the community parnters presented to them. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention National Library of Medicine Harvard Health National Endowment for the Arts Various research articles Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Investigation/Research
In the three units students were asked to explore the YRBS data to find issues that resonated with themselves, and then did research on how certain therapies have been used to support people with mental health challenges. Students used classroom discussion and research to drive three main actions to provide supportive solutions in school for our initiatives that support mental health. Students researched gaps in the school’s ability to provide art and dance classes, identified that pet ownership was challenging or not allowed for many families, and that fundraising activities are a way to both give to worthy causes, and taking action is beneficial to individuals.
Lesson Plan with YRBS Data
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1H5BRGxCxUEg70wwAU9LAPnFojoes7pFlNt1k1Ll4flg/edit#slide=id.g2dee5f844f6_0_10
Solution
Students used the data to discover what supportive therapies can have on overall mental health. They researched, for example, bunny yoga, art therapy and puppy therapy. Students researched the resources they had at hand and also researched what was manageable and what would have the most impact in the time they could make available.
Community Impacts
Students provided other students to access to resources not widely available to them and that have been shown to positively impact mental health. The pet-a-pup was a great success with students and teachers visiting the pets and spending time with them in a relaxing environment. The access to enriched arts programming either dance or painting allowed students to engage in art therapy as there is scant access to the arts in our school. Students eventually put on a talent show selling over 250 tickets.
Connection to Curriculum
Students learned that physical activity has a direct correlation to mental health, and that the arts can give entry points to physical activity on an individual basis. Physical Activity and Fitness [9.1.PF] 1. Choose an appropriate level of challenge to experience success through participation in a self-selected physical activity. 2. Modify group activities or behaviors to accommodate for individuals with lesser or greater skills or special needs. 3. Solve problems and think critically in physical activity settings, both as an individual and in groups. Students learned that there are many ways to deal and cope with stress and can take action to support well-being. Students set goals and executed plans to minimize strees. Mental and Emotional Health [9.2.MH] 1. Apply strategies to appropriately respond using different levels of emotions in routine interactions. 2. Apply coping and stress management techniques to manage a variety of stressors (i.e., school, personal life, relationships) and create a long-term plan for stress management. 3. Apply strategies, including developing protective factors and personal assets, to support positive mental and emotional well-being. 4. Assess health practices and overall health status across multiple dimensions of wellness (e.g., physical, emotional, financial, cultural, sexual, intellectual, occupational, spiritual, environmental, social). 5. Set a goal, create a plan, monitor progress, and celebrate success for plans that maximize efficiency and minimize stress. 6. Apply strategies for developing and applying a growth mindset including consistently applying strategies in challenging settings. 7. Set personal short- and long-term mental and emotional health-related goals and create and execute a plan for monitoring progress. Students used data and community resources (in-school and surrounding communities) to make informed decision about issues and take action to implement a positive impact on school mental health Mental and Emotional Health [9.6.MH] 1. Discuss a variety of supports available at home, school, and community for maintaining or enhancing mental and emotional health. 2. Evaluate the validity of and use resources from home, school, and community that provide valid health information on enhancing mental and emotional well-being, including effective coping strategies for loss and grief. 3. Use valid and reliable resources to find information on risk factors for, and signs and symptoms of, mental health issues and illness (including depression and suicide risk) and access appropriate support for self or others.
SEL Competencies
Social Awareness
Specific SEL Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes
Social Awareness Students used data and research to discover and understand a range on mental health and mental illness challenges that face the school community on a daily basis. They engaged in school-wide mental health awareness projects and contributed projects that enriched and enhanced the school-wide initiative. Self-Awareness Students used data and research to reflect on mental health issues from their own perspectives and lived experiences, and find entry points into action steps they could take to make meaningful activities to the people they knew best- the other students. Self-Management Students worked in small groups to organize and direct projects alongside some in-house and other community resources. Students had to realize their projects by connecting the appropriate resources. Responsible Decision Making Students had to decide appropriate projects that were manageable and safe with the limited time and resources at their disposal. Students had to organize advertising for their projects and set up spaces for events to happen. Relationship skills Students worked with guidance, CTAE programs, outside community partners in small groups to create practical relationships ensuring project success. Students learned that teachers need some stress management too
District Name
Essex North Shore Ag/Tech
School Name
Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School
Class/Program
Academic Health, Health Assisting CTAE, Companion Animal CTAE
Number of Teachers
4 (grant funded) 2 (not grant funded)
Number of Students
110
Grade Level(s)
9-12
Duration/Intensity
Unit 1: April -May 10 days, 1 55 minute block per day Unit 2: April -May 10 days, 1 55 minute block per day Unit 3: April -May 10 days, 1 55 minute block per day
Community Partners
National Alliance for Mental Illness. Paula Conrad, Express Yourself Inc. Emily Eastman, CTAE instructor Companion Animal CTAE. Tony Hadad, president Lifting Spirits
Content Areas
English Language Arts & Literacy, Arts, Comprehensive Health