T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Some of the students responsible for the mental health display near the Marshalltown High School main office show some love for people who are struggling. The display has been in place for roughly six weeks and has inspired more students to seek help at the counselor’s office.

TIMES-REPUBLICAN

Letting students know they are not alone in times of mental health need and there is help available was a focus of 65 Marshalltown High School students.

Using the display case outside of the MHS main office, the students highlighted common mental health challenges and causes, such as childhood trauma, loneliness, depression, stress, anxiety, insecurity, abuse, fear, panic attacks and lack of love.

Freshman Kenny Nguyen said they did research on mental health and found eight out of 10 people struggle with some challenge and do not seek help.

“There’s a lot of things people can’t talk about in general,” he said. “We came up with the idea because we think nobody should be alone in this school. Like, everybody can reach out and everybody should be heard. Everybody should be able to talk to someone so they are not alone with the situation they have, whether it is family problems, school problems or suicide problems.”

The people who do not seek help may not have family as an option, and some just think others do not want to be bothered.

“If there are more people reaching out, there are less suicidal causes,” Nguyen said.

Junior Kennia Reyes pointed out that one of the figures in the case was wearing a red bracelet in remembrance of MHS Counselor Miracle Mallory, who passed away in December.

“She was one of the people who helped me with [my trauma,]” she said. “Even though she’s not here anymore, I wanted her to be in the display some way. Red was her favorite color, and I thought of a red bracelet. She was one of the people who really helped me, and I think she helped a lot of the students.”

One of the reasons Reyes said they wanted to create a mental health display is that some students might think they are “weird” because of mental health issues. That is not the case, she added.

“We wanted to let everyone know that,” Reyes said. “I also think a lot of teachers, who also grow through problems, pass by the display and know it will be OK.”

Choosing which words to put in the display was a challenge for Reyes, as mental health can be a difficult topic to talk about. The stigma that has historically surrounded mental health issues has slowly decreased, according to her.

“I really think the social workers and counselors are helping,” she said. “Like I am from Mexico and was thinking I didn’t want to be here anymore. I wanted to go back to Mexico, and I didn’t know what I was doing here. Miss Mallory told me I had to keep going.”

Nguyen is proud of not only the work that went into the display case, but they also show the students at MHS and throughout the Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD), they can reach out and ask for help from counselors, friends, family members, crisis lines and the Marshalltown Police Department.

“You might have feelings where you never know what will happen when you call, but we’re telling them we promise they will have somebody who will understand them and not criticize them,” he said.

A couple students even told Nguyen the mental health display case was a great idea, and since it was put up, he noticed an increase in the number of students in the counseling office.

Something Reyes is proud of is that she believes the students who worked on the case learned the importance of being kind to their peers.

“You never know what someone else is going through,” she said

Student Senate Adviser David Santana estimated that the display was first created six weeks ago, and they are hoping it will remain for the rest of the school year.

“It is something we wanted to share with the community,” he said.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.