The items on display across a cluster of desks at James Monroe High School on Saturday afternoon might not immediately register as school supplies.
But the squishy stars bearing aspirational messages, finger traps and multi-colored mini tubs of Play-Doh can play an important role in the daily academic existences of Sariyah Payne and her fellow classmates.
“Kids can use these as coping mechanisms,” said Payne, a sophomore and member of JM’s Youth Mental Health Task Force. “Whenever you’re feeling down or need a distraction, you can go to your self-care kit and remember that you can take a break.”
“Build your own self care kits” was one of approximately 20 breakout sessions offered as part of Fredericksburg City Schools’ Mental Health Wellness and Safety Resource Fair. Other sessions covered topics like therapeutic journaling, Black mental health matters and understanding grief.
The event featured approximately 25 local vendors and also included hands-on experiences like the Virginia State Police Distracted Driving Simulator, in which student drivers attempt to navigate a golf cart through a cones course while texting or dealing with unruly passengers.
In a classroom a few hallways down from the self-care kits, Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office Community Relations Specialist Margarida Figueroa worked through her own assortment of seemingly innocuous household items. However, the purpose of Figueroa’s session, “Hidden in Plain Sight,” was to educate parents about signs that their child or their child’s peers might be engaging in drug or substance abuse.
A common copper scrubber for cleaning dishes could be repurposed for a filter in a crack pipe, Figueroa explained. Sandwich bags with the corners cut out might signal that the missing plastic was used to wrap individual pills, such as OxyContin.
As the deputy lectured, she passed around bags containing different substances or their facsimiles, including crystal meth.
Members of the FCPS Youth Mental Health Taskforce take part in a discussion titled ‘Youth Voices on Mental Health.’ (Photo courtesy of FCPS)
Saturday’s event also offered members of James Monroe’s Mental Health Task Force an opportunity to share their experiences as part of a forum entitled “Youth Voices on Mental Health.” The group previously visited the Virginia General Assembly in February, meeting with state legislators to discuss common issues they face as students.
The questions, some of which were pre-selected and others that were submitted by the audience, covered various aspects of mental health.
One parent asked for tips on how to recognize that their child wasn’t doing well mentally.
“If they start losing interest in something they’re always interested in, if they’re into sports or friends,” one student panelist replied. “If they start pulling away from people, that’s a big sign.”
