At World Journalism Preparatory School, students in Ms. Kontos’s senior English class are reading the memoir Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen.  

As part of the pre-lesson to the book, students wrote notes of encouragement on post-it notes that were displayed on a bulletin board.  The notes are “Giving a piece of encouragement, or pieces of affirmation,” said Ms. Kontos.

She added, “ Now that we are approaching the holiday season, it is a good reminder that we should connect with people and show our gratitude to one another, however this is not something that should be done just at the holiday season, but something we should practice in our everyday lives.”

“I feel it’s important so people know how to treat others with respect,” offered WJPS senior Nicolette Di Fazio.

According to WJPS social worker Ms. Tiwari, “Mental health is so important for everyone to learn about.  Stigmas can lead to a decrease in self awareness… less understanding leads to less empathy.”

Dr. Bullaro is the school psychologist for WJPS and I.S. 25, in an interview, she offered  information on mental health.  Mental health “is an umbrella term which covers various states of mind.  It is anybody’s social and emotional well being which then affects their physical health.”

Dr. Bullaro added that in order to support mental health in the classroom, students need to have “a safe space where they feel socially accepted.”

“We want to ensure that students are not only mentally healthy, but physically healthy because all of these components affect learning.”  

Within the school, Social Emotional Learning is a program implemented to address mental health issues.  SEL works by helping students to better cope with their emotions in school.