LYNN — Students from Jenny Winter’s eighth-grade class at Breed Middle School focused on mental health in schools for their civic engagement project, discovering that the Massachusetts Health Curriculum has not been updated since 1999.
As a part of their project, a group of students did research on this topic to create a PowerPoint presentation, which discussed the evolution and importance of mental health. They invited School Committee member Brian Castellanos and former Lynn English basketball coach Antonio Anderson to join the class Monday morning to share their experiences with mental wellness.
In the presentation, the group said a lot has changed since the creation of the state’s health curriculum in 1999, citing the large scale of cyberbullying and the negative impact social media has had on suicide and depression rates among young teens.
With the pandemic, it is a known fact that people’s mental stability has been taxed. But, with or without a pandemic, the Breed students said these issues should be addressed better in an updated health curriculum.
The students suggested ways to update the curriculum, including better internet safety; methods to assist teens in dealing with stress, depression and other mental health issues; and teaching students about the signs of mental health issues and ways to get help.
The Breed administration plans to address mental wellness concerns among students by hiring more social workers next year, and has already posted informational content regarding mental wellness on the school’s social media platforms (using #Breedforawareness), and has even reached out to influencers to gain support for this initiative.
Anderson and Castellanos joined Winter’s class and shared their own struggles with mental wellness, both saying they have been compelled to take action on this issue.
Anderson said he struggled with maintaining his mental health when he underwent eye surgery, which led to him eventually ending his basketball career.
“When I knew I couldn’t perform and play at the level I wanted to, I said ‘life is over, this is it,’” Anderson said. “I sat in my house for almost two years. I didn’t go outside.”
Anderson said he spiraled into a dark hole, but said what got him out of it was talking about it.
Both Anderson and Castellanos advised the students to talk to people whenever things get tough, whether it be a teacher, counselor, family member or friend.
“I don’t know any of you personally, but I want you all to do great,” Anderson said. “Focusing on self-care can help with that.”
Castellanos said he found himself in a similar situation after his stepmother started using drugs and left his family when he was in the eighth grade. Castellanos said after that, he “shut down,” stopped smiling and talking, and resorted to fighting and skipping school.
“I was looking at my life through a really short lens and was around the wrong people,” Castellanos said. “I was around drug dealers, gun violence and in the wrong mix, but I always wanted something more for my life.”
Castellanos said when he started speaking to teachers, mentors and coaches about his struggles, he realized they wanted more for his life, too.
Castellanos said watching drugs change someone he loved so much hurt, but inspired him to change his life and use his voice.
He now encourages kids to use their voices, saying that everyone “is in on this mental health fight,” and that no one can, or should, go through it alone.
Castellanos said he will work with his fellow School Committee members to incorporate adjustments to the state’s health curriculum into the next school budget, citing the importance of this issue for students.
“The next steps are to spread awareness and take action,” Castellanos said. “At the end of the day, it takes a village.”