Made a Difference: Danville club focuses on mental health

Dec. 24—Editor's note: The Daily Item will recognize people who have Made a Difference in the Valley in 2022 this week. This is the first part of a series that will continue until New Year's Day.

DANVILLE — A student club in Danville has made the mental health of their peers a priority over the last three years.

The Students Preserving Mental Health Club at Danville Area High School was nominated as one of The Daily Item's People Who Made A Difference in the Valley in 2022. The club became a school-sponsored club in March 2021 after two classmates died within four months of each other. Since then, the students have been holding events to raise awareness for mental health and suicide, raising funds for the scholarships formed in honor of their late classmates, and seeking training to learn how to respond to students who are expressing emotional issues.

"This club has helped me see people from a different perspective," said Senior Dameon White, 18, of Danville. "When you go from middle school to high school, it's not always the easiest transition. You want to be the person who can see what other kids are going through, and you're able to help them a lot easier. Our training helps us get an understanding on what mental health is, and what ways we can help prevent and reduce the stigma on mental health."

A seventh-grade student took his own life in November 2019. Then a junior took his own life in March of 2020, the same month that the governor ordered all Pennsylvania schools closed to in-person learning in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. The students who would form the club were home without the benefit of having school-sponsored counselors physically in the same place.

The club has grown from 12 members in 2020 to nearly 130 this year after it became an official school-sponsored club. Students range from ninth through 12th grade.

"It's nice to be able to end the stigma," said Kamryn Michaels, 16, of Mahoning Township. "There are still people who still don't believe in mental health. Helping people is very important and a necessity in life. To see people go through these actions is not something that should happen."

The club holds annual cornhole tournaments, baseball carnivals, car washes, frequent social media campaigns and other events. The students participated in the Homecoming Parade and hosted a Trunk or Treat event at the primary school.

CMSU (Columbia, Montour, Snyder and Union) Behavioral Health and Developmental Services fund the events, and local businesses and community members sponsor and donate items. Any money raised through these events goes to planning future events or for scholarships for graduates in honor of their classmates who died. They plan to set up another scholarship for another classmate who recently died.

The students received training for QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer), a kind of CPR for emotions, through the CMSU. The students also visited the primary school to read to the younger students about emotional well-being and painted kindness rocks with positive messages on them.

The students set up a stand at one of the Friday night football games this past season during Suicide Awareness Month in September. They featured information on the club, a raffle sponsored by CMSU, and statements about suicide and mental health read aloud throughout the evening. Posters were made and hung throughout the stadium.

The next big event is author, entrepreneur, speaker, and educator Daniel Patterson coming to speak at an event in April.

The club has taught the students themselves how to manage their own mental health, they said.

"It helped me get a grasp on mental health in general," said senior Mason Raup, 18, of Danville. "If I was having a bad day before I was in the club, I never thought I should just slow down and take a breath. I didn't know how to deal. I understand now that people have bad days, rough times, and I know that it exists now, and there are ways to handle it."

The club was nominated by Danville Area Primary School Principal Amy Willoughby.

"I would like to nominate a club at the Danville Area High School," Willoughby said. "I believe the work the SPM Club is doing is meaningful and important to the Danville school community."

Club Advisor Megan Geise, a second-grade teacher, said Benton Area School District reached out for guidance on how to introduce their own events focusing on mental health. The office of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-PA, also contacted the club to discuss how they can assist them.

"I'm very proud of them," said Geise. "That's why I'm doing this. Mental health is a huge issue in Danville. That's why I took on this role. They are on a mission to help things and reduce the stigma in the district."

White, Raup and Michaels said they are honored to have been recognized by the adults in charge of their education.

"We want to impact the community as much as possible," said White. "These mental health issues occur across all schools in the district. The more we can spread throughout the community, we can get ways to help and reach out and ways to deal with these things at home. It's definitely a start."

"Even though we're such a fraction of the community, it's nice to have our work recognized," said Michaels. "Hopefully people after us can continue this."