Student advisory council outlines mental-health outreach: classroom workshops, posters and a discreet teacher-contact system

Student members of the Arlington School District Student Advisory Council presented the board on Tuesday with several mental-health initiatives they plan to pilot, aiming to increase early help-seeking and make resources more accessible to elementary and secondary students.

Students described three main efforts: interactive classroom workshops for fifth graders preparing to enter middle school; a poster campaign with QR codes that link to mental-health resources placed across middle and high schools; and a discreet method for students to request help from teachers using small cards (initially conceived as "tea tokens") that a student can drop in a box so a teacher can reach out later.

Alex Phillips, a 10th grader who represents Arlington High School on the Student Advisory Council, said the council added middle-school voices this year to broaden representation. Student presenters described the fifth-grade plan as classroom-level, interactive sessions at Camp Prairie, Eagle Creek, Pioneer and other elementary schools to cover topics such as identifying emotions, coping mechanisms, peer pressure and self-harm signs. "We're planning an interactive presentation," one student said, explaining the group will use polls and anonymous response tools so fifth-graders can share honestly.

Another project, led by students including Xander Anderson and Lisonbee Kleinman, is a poster series with QR codes linking to vetted local resources for suicide prevention, anxiety, eating disorders, LGBTQ supports and sexual-assault resources. Kleinman said the posters are already up in middle and high schools and that the group plans to add hotline information to student ID cards.

The "Spill the Tea" idea evolved into a business-card system students can use to discreetly give teachers their student ID number (not their name) and request a private outreach. Nathan, a student council member who worked on the project, said the design emphasizes student initiative and teacher follow-up: "It's something quick and easy that you don't have to go up to the teacher and interrupt class." Teachers who responded to a district survey asked for clear boundaries and referral cheat-sheets; students said staff asked for more information before fully committing to the pilot, and the student team plans to present the model to staff and request a small pilot in advisory classes.

Students also described a new community coalition focused on youth substance-use prevention, chaired by district partners and community organizations. Students said the coalition (about 10'20 members currently) is pursuing grant funding that was postponed to the fall; the anticipated grant would fund a student-assistance professional to do outreach and small-group work in middle schools.

Board members thanked the students and asked for a brief written summary and outcomes from the fall pilots so the board and local legislators can see student priorities. No formal board action was taken; the measures described are student-led proposals that require staff support and any appropriate district approvals before broader rollout.