Clover Park School District (CPSD) and the city of Lakewood have partnered to fund programs that support wellness for CPSD students. The partnership includes matching federal dollars from both the district and city and focuses on peer-to-peer mental health activities for students, staff training on mental health and small group discussion of youth wellness in classrooms.
The efforts began with a survey conducted last spring that included 400 CPSD high school students. Results found that a majority of students were dealing with anxiety and stress. Students indicated they were likely to utilize peer-to-peer support for mental health and would like built-in class time to talk about mental health and coping strategies.
To address the survey results, the district has begun implementing seven Youth Wellness Modules that create peer-to-peer conversations that deal with mental health topics students identified in the survey. Students are matched up with other students to have these conversations in a one-on-one or group setting.
The program was piloted at Hudtloff Middle School in the fall, Lakes this Spring and will be expanded to the district’s other secondary schools over the coming year. The seven modules students focus on are anxiety, stress, coping skills, self-care, social media, building and maintaining healthy relationships, self-awareness and acceptance.
Learn more about the Youth Wellness Modules in this video, with remarks from CPSD Superintendent Ron Banner and Lakewood Mayor Jason Whalen.