Clizia Martini, President of Active Minds and junior, talks after school to her friend, junior Ethan Stoehr after school. Both Martini and Stoehr were attending Debate Club.

The Counseling Center urges students to utilize their Social and Emotional Learning services. According to counselor Kris Hartman, a greater quantity and a greater variety of students have been coming into the counseling office for help.

“This change in who and how many students we’ve been seeing is tied to this entire pandemic and how it’s affected different aspects of our lives,” Hartman said. “For some, this hybrid option has really helped their mental health, which is why we don’t see them anymore, but for others, it has really stressed them.” As a result, Hartman said that this has inspired one of their biggest initiatives and priorities this year.

“We just want to ensure that both students and staff know what is available to them. One new project we particularly launched this year is the Virtual Mindfulness Room,” Hartman said. “The hybrid situation really emphasized the need for resources accessible at (student’s) fingertips.”

Furthermore, the Counseling Center has been working closely with a new student club whose initiative aligns with the emphasis on mental health: Active Minds. According to Clizia Martini, president of Active Minds and junior, new plans or programs are yet to be implemented.

“We are having meetings every month so that we can start incorporating student ideas into our initiatives and programs,” Martini said. “Hopefully we’ll start to see students get help that is more adequately geared towards them.”

For now, Martini urges students to utilize the already available resources.

“We have 14 school counselors and four amazing social workers who are ready to help anyone with their issues,” Martini said. “I wish more people knew about the resources they offered, so definitely reach out to them when you need it.”