THE PAW PRINT June 2019 • Wilde Lake High School • 5460 Trumpeter Road, Columbia, MD 21044 • Volume 46, Issue 3
STUDENTS ADVOCATE FOR MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
By Sydney Cox
When the Board of Education announced that they were having a meeting pertaining to fund distributions in Howard County, Wilde Lake sophomore Vaniya Khan knew that it was her time to speak up on an underrepresented and underfunded issue: mental health. On April 7, Khan was attending her monthly youth group, Howard County’s Teen Interfaith Initiative, when she was asked what issues facing the county she felt were particularly important. Without pause, she immediately responded that mental health resources in the county are lacking. “They wanted to pass something that would fund more resources for Howard County students who are struggling with mental illness,” Khan said. “They just needed someone to persuade them to do it.” This prompted Khan and her fellow group member, Nashrah Rahman, to sign up for a speaking slot at the Board of Education meeting on April 24. The goal of their speech was to bring awareness to the Board about mental health, and the resources needed in schools to properly ad-
According to the New York Times, 7/10 teenagers see mental health as a “major issue” in high school life.
dress these concerns. She decided that using personal experiences would be the most effective way to deliver her speech since they “Show more importance,” she said. “Statistics and facts are persuasive, but personal experience shows the reality of it, especially as a student in a Howard County School.”
The first half of the speech, spoken by Rahman, addressed the amount of stress teenagers pile on from both school and extracurriculars. When students have no one to talk to about their stress, they bottle up their emotions or turn to friends who often aren’t equipped to help, she said. Both girls made a stance that, “It is
time to abandon our ignorance and take action,” when it comes to mental health and the stigma around it. Khan’s half of the speech focused more on a personal incident she had with a friend who was battling depression. This friend was checked on by counselors, but no action was ever taken directly with the student. The
counselors did not have access to adequate resources to help, resources that could be obtainable through proper funding. Khan felt extremely nervous and consistently checked up on her friend due to the fear of losing her. At the meeting on April 24, Kahn found herself becoming increasingly anxious. However, as she stepped up to the stage, sat at the table, and faced the members of the board, she let the words of her speech carry her anxieties away. When she finished, she was met with silent applause, as to not disrupt other meetings going on and to keep the professionalism of their meeting. She pushed herself out of her comfort zone and hopefully made a positive impact. Both Khan and Rahman want funding for mental health resources to become readily available to Howard County students. “Some students can only get support from the school or their friends, since families can’t always provide for them,” she said. “Mental health is kind of an uncontrollable factor, and we aren’t really taught to deal with it, so those who need the help should have access to it.”
SMOB Organizes Forum to Destigmatize Mental Health
Attendees of the SMOB Mental Health Meeting on May 16.
By Sarah Rubin When she was in seventh grade, Trisha Reddy was told that in the United States, the biggest cause of death for teens was suicide. “This is what truly inspired me to help with the discussion,” she said, “because people around me were suffering in silence, unknowing of the variety of ways that they can receive help in our community.”
May 16, 2019 marked the date of the first ever Student Member of the Board community forum, led by current SMOB Ambika Siddabathula. Its purpose was to discuss mental health in Howard County public schools, and find ways to address related situations. As stated in the handout given to those who attended the meeting, the goal of meetings like this one is to, “Pioneer a future where there is less stigma associated with mental health.” At the two hour function, there were five stations designed to educate people on the importance of mental health and general wellness. These stations included: Stress Relieving Strategies, Friend to Friend, Resources in Howard County to Support Mental Health and Wellness, Mental Health Initiatives Led and Run by Students across Howard County, and Destigmatizing Disorders. Chris Lidard, leader of the Mental Health Initiatives station, said, “The big takeaway I hoped to instill was that everyone, no matter who you are or where you stand, can be an advocate for mental health.” Trisha Reddy, now a sophomore at Mount Hebron High School, reflects on why she thinks discussion of mental health is important. “People often have relatively little idea of the impact of having poor mental health. The consequences of poor mental health affect so much more than just mood and emotions - they affect a student’s ability to interact with others, complete school work, engage in extracurriculars, etc.,” she said. Reddy mentions that having Board of Education members present allowed the students to share their ideas, and actually make an impact. There were also other panel members who showed up, such as school counselors/psychologists, and licensed doctors who
were able to answer questions that students and parents had for them, which she felt supported a stronger understanding of mental health illness and helped to solve stigmas around it. “Mental health has always been a big topic in Howard County, and I’ve always felt like more needed to be done. When Ambika and her team reached out to me about helping to coordinate this forum, I was excited to help bring change and raise awareness for something that I felt strongly about,” said Chris Lidard, a current sophomore at Centennial High School. He participated in the forum to remove the stigma surrounding mental health. Reservoir High School junior Hunter Craig says he was influenced to help with this specific discussion because, “As a student who struggles with anxiety and has education plans set up, I strive to help those who do not have the same accommodations as myself. I was so glad that the SMOB reached out to me and seven other students in the county to plan this forum, as it’s something I have a very strong passion for.” According to a study by the Center for Discovery, “About 20 percent of all teens experience depression before they reach adulthood,” and are at risk of committing suicide. According to Ambika, something needs to change. Chris Lidard believes in having an open conversation about taboo topics. “Advocacy doesn’t instantly fix all mental illness, but it helps to remove stigma and give those that need help the resources and validation from their community to get what they need,” he said.