The first half of the school year is already flying by! As students prepare for exams and college applications, it’s important for them to make time to relax and connect with others.🤗
In mid-October, Marshall Minds Matter (MMM) at George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, VA, held their first meeting of the year! Club leaders welcomed students to learn more about the purpose of the club while de-stressing with slime and donuts.
Club leaders opened the meeting with informational slides on OMM and their club Marshall Minds Matter, sharing their goals for this year. Students chatted with those at their tables during an opening connection of Rose, Thorn, Bud.
Rose – something going well
Thorn – something not going so well
Bud – something you’re looking forward to
Student leaders said they chose to do a fun slime activity to model for new and returning club members what club meetings would usually look like.
MMM student leader Chloe O’Hearn, a senior at Marshall, said that slime-making was a great success at club meetings last year. It is especially helpful as a coping mechanism for stress as students prepare for SATs, college applications, and exams.
Bringing teens together to enjoy a hands-on activity also highlights the importance of creativity and building social connections, all while having fun with slime!
Club president Mikaela Pareja, a senior, said she wanted to be a student leader after seeing her older sister get involved. She hopes to share resources with her peers and create a safe space at her school.
“The club became more than just the meetings. By working with leaders and reading more into topics such as athletes’ mental health or suicide prevention, I found that I was learning more.” Pareja said via email.
MMM leaders are hoping to have many more club meetings this year (and potentially bring back therapy dogs)! Pareja added that the club would like to engage underclassmen specifically, but wants to have more regular mental health conversations across Marshall High School in general.
“We don’t have discussions of mental health at assemblies or advisory periods, so I hope to create a lesson for teachers to share during our advisory periods,” she said.
O’Hearn added that she hopes that MMM can be a place for students across different grade levels to connect. She said that this may allow students to broaden their relationships with peers they may not see as often.
“It’s also great to meet more people at my school who aren’t in my grade or classes, who also care about collective mental health and dealing with stress together,” O’Hearn said.
Congratulations on a great first meeting for the school year! Follow @marshallmindsmatter to keep up with their activities for the school year!
A special thank you for supporting Our Minds Matter in Fairfax County Public Schools goes to the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia; the County of Fairfax, VA; The J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott Foundation; Kettering Family Foundation; The MATTIE Fund; the McLean Community Foundation; the Potomac Health Foundation; Rosendin Foundation; Van Metre Companies; and our supporter community of mental health champions like you.