Children's Mental Health Awareness Month

As a community, we are deeply invested in the well-being of our children. The Meadows School has a long-held tradition of the pursuit of excellence, and as part of that pursuit, we tend to students’ academic, social, and emotional development.

Mental health is best thought of as the way a young person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors affect their life. Mental health is a spectrum. In the same way that every individual experiences physical health as a continuum from ‘well’ to ‘ill’, we all have an individual mental health experience. In December 2021, the Surgeon General issued a rare public health advisory on the mental health challenges confronting youth. He cited that youth were already facing a mental health crisis before the pandemic and it is now a critical issue that demands immediate action.¹

We know that there is a positive relationship between mental health and wellness and overall productivity, including educational outcomes.² Tending to the whole child invests in individual development as well as a child's future.

In an effort to bring more resources and attention to this important topic, sophomore Robert Barsel submitted a proclamation, and received approval by Governor Sisolak, indicating that May is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month in the state of Nevada. To kick off this inaugural month of awareness, Barsel and the TMS student-led Peer Support Social Club (PSS) brought attention to Children’s Mental Health through sidewalk chalk art by coming together to write down positive and motivational messages around campus. We are excited to continue the campaign toward mental health awareness in our community, and invite you to participate. If you are interested in future opportunities to invest in mental health initiatives in our community, contact Robert Barsel, Dr. Billy Pugliese, or Mr. Scott Paseika.

¹U.S. Surgeon General Issues Advisory on Youth Mental Health Crisis Further Exposed by COVID-19 Pandemic
https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/12/07/us-surgeon-general-issues-advisory-on-youth-mental-health-crisis-further-exposed-by-covid-19-pandemic.html
²Bas article