Parent Teacher Magazine Charlotte-Mecklenburg School March/April 2019 | Page 8

Finding reasons to appreciate life
‘I’m going to be here and you will be, too’
They look like trees. But the leaves
are hands that are covered in student
notes -- family, food, sleeping, rain and
other things they are grateful for in life.
The trees have been displayed
since November at Providence High,
where students reflected on spirituality,
thankfulness and gratitude. It is one
of the student-led activities designed
to help good mental health and social
well-being take root in every student.
Providence and Hough high schools
swiftly prioritized social and emotional
health after each school lost a student
to suicide on the same day in February
2018. Dr. Tracey Harrill, of Providence,
and Dr. Laura Rosenbach, of Hough,
worked together to find positive
resources to help their students cope.
As leaders of high-achieving schools,
the two principals recognized their
students face unique pressures and
stress.
“We were calling each other for moral support and researching different
programs,” Dr. Harrill said. “Students don’t seem to know how to draw on
support systems – how do you get through when things are tough? The
priority was to help them develop resiliency skills, to learn how to persevere.”
The principals chose Sources of Strength, a youth suicide-prevention
program designed to use peer social networks to change unhealthy norms
and culture that can lead to suicide, bullying and substance abuse. The
program focuses on promoting connections between peers and adults, along
with multiple sources of supports for students when life becomes difficult.
Providence and Hough are the first schools in the state to use the nationwide
program, which is expanding internationally.
Erika Thurman is one of a trio of Providence teachers who made a three-
year commitment to develop the program at their school. She said the
community needed a way to come together – staff as well as students were
grieving.
“As a staff, we were feeling a lot of grief and pressure,” Thurman said.
“We just felt we needed to do something. All we can control is
here at school and change has to come from the student body.”
Peer leaders were selected to pioneer the program and
response was overwhelming. A pool of teachers and counselors
selected a diverse group of about 60 students in grades 10
through 12 from 200 applications. Training was held for advisers
and peer leaders, as well as all-faculty training. This semester,
22 freshmen will join the peer group, which will eventually grow
to about 200 students.
Thurman said the group is not a club and doesn’t have
a set structure. The goal is to spread messages of hope and
health. Peer leaders meet in a large group once a month and
have smaller working groups that meet during school. Activity
ideas, or campaigns, come from the students, who had three
campaigns last semester, including the thankfulness trees.
Three campaigns are also planned for this semester: “Connect,”
about normalizing help-seeking and support; “We Belong,” about
inclusivity and celebrating the diversity in the school; and “What
Helps Me,” remembering, sharing and discovering what they can
do to help deal with overwhelming emotions.
Peer leaders have also made classroom presentations
to freshmen to make the transition to high school less
overwhelming. They highlight aspects of the Sources of Strength
wheel -- which includes supports such as mentors, medical
access and healthy activities – and emphasize that each student
is a valuable part of the school.
6 • March/April 2019 • Parent Teacher Magazine
“It would’ve been cool if I had
had that presentation when I was a
freshman,” said senior Whit Williams.
“Underclassmen don’t have an emotional
connection to what happened, but we’re
starting them on a positive note. We want
to leave a legacy.”
Like Whit, seniors Gabi El-Massri,
Dami Ayinde, Shelley Saffan and juniors
Sunnya Hadavi and Isaac De Luna
said they want to make a difference at
Providence, where everyone has high
expectations. They want to ensure their
classmates recognize the pressures
they face and have the proper coping
mechanisms.
“There’s a lot of competition here and
you’re held to a certain level,” Dami said.
“Since last year, there’s been a negative
vibe, and I want to be a positive.”
Half the cost of Sources of Strength
was funded by CMS Student Services.
Dr. Harrill said faculty training at both
schools was paid with a grant from the Foundation For The Carolinas.
Peer leaders are still finding their way, but Dr. Harrill said they are
already on par with other Sources of Strength schools, which average four
campaigns each year. The hope is that the community will also become
involved and financial help is welcome to help fund the program, from
training to fees for on-call program support.
Sources of Strength reaches out to Providence and Hough when needed.
“The Sources of Strength staff members are very collaborative with us,”
Dr. Harrill said.
Peer leaders said the program will need time to take hold but it’s been
worth the effort.
“It takes about three years to see a culture change and it’s tough to be
patient,” Gabi said. “But I want to be that person who’s a light, to tell them,
‘I’m going to be here and you will be, too.’”