The new mental health section on the District 34 website although, currently a blank slate, is drawing attention from high school students formerly a part of the district. Many new additions to the schools have been made to various District 34 schools in recent years, and the new website section is one of them. Mental health of children is an issue that has been gaining the medical community’s attention as of recently. This may be another task on their agenda to improve the district.
“When I was young I did not feel the need to learn more about mental health, but mostly because I was not very aware of it,” senior Elliana Nordhaus said. “I believe this addition can be another source children can go to for advice and information to help them with mental health issues.”
The district’s alumni mostly agree with the new development. Being young and uneducated is a dangerous situation for children at risk of gaining mental health problems in the future because they do not understand signs to look for in earlier childhood.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledges that one in six children aged two through eight years old have some sort of mental, behavioral or developmental disorder. Many of which go unnoticed until it is too late to prevent or is severely damaging. Along with that statistic, the CDC illustrates in various graphics the dramatic increase in mental health issues starting at approximately ages six, extending through age 12 and increasing through age 17.
Students’ young age and time spent during childhood in District 34 schools is an opportune time to intervene with preventable mental problems. The steady increase in behavioral and mental issues throughout middle school continuing on into high school and adulthood may be the reason District 34 is paying more attention to their students’ mental health.
“I got stressed out a little, much less than in high school, though,” sophomore Bella Bussone said. “It was really hard to deal with that because the school did not have personal counselors and I did not know how to reach out to them.”
Although statistics paint a picture of many children being impacted by mental illness, those who are not diagnosed still remain compassionate towards those who may suffer with issues of the sort.
“I felt good during my childhood, but I know some kids who did not have it as easy, so they may need something to help,” junior Aidan Trusky said.
Mental health is a topic that is more recognized in current day compared to its historical relevance, but there are always improvements to be made to diagnose and treat mental illnesses earlier in childhood. District 34 is starting to take those extra steps in helping their students and although the website does not include the contents of the mental health section yet, former students have high hopes for the development.
