Mental Health Awareness and Student Wellness Recognition Programs: Building Supportive School Communities

Student mental health has emerged as one of education’s most pressing challenges. According to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, more than 1 in 3 high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and nearly 1 in 5 seriously considered attempting suicide in recent years. These statistics reflect a mental health crisis demanding comprehensive, compassionate responses from educational institutions at all levels.

While schools increasingly implement counseling services, crisis interventions, and support programs, many overlook a powerful complementary approach: recognition programs celebrating students who contribute to mental health awareness, peer support, wellness initiatives, and positive school climate. Acknowledging these often-invisible contributions validates the importance of mental health work, encourages broader participation, and helps destigmatize conversations around emotional wellbeing.

Understanding the Student Mental Health Landscape

Before implementing recognition programs, schools must understand the complex mental health challenges students face and the various support approaches that create meaningful impact.

The Scope of Student Mental Health Challenges

Contemporary students navigate unprecedented mental health pressures from multiple sources. Academic competition has intensified as college admission becomes more selective and scholarship opportunities more competitive. Social media creates constant comparison opportunities, cyberbullying exposure, and pressure to maintain curated online personas. Global events—pandemic disruptions, climate concerns, political division, social unrest—create background anxiety affecting young people’s sense of safety and future optimism.

According to research published by the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14, and three-quarters by age 24. This developmental reality means schools serve populations at critical intervention points where early support can dramatically alter life trajectories. Students experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse challenges, eating disorders, or other mental health conditions need comprehensive support systems that recognize these challenges as legitimate health concerns deserving compassionate response rather than stigma or dismissal.

Economic disparities compound mental health challenges. Students from families experiencing financial instability face housing insecurity, food insufficiency, lack of health insurance, and limited access to mental health services—all while managing typical adolescent developmental challenges. LGBTQ+ students experience significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation due to discrimination, family rejection, and hostile school climates. Students of color often face racial trauma, microaggressions, and systemic barriers affecting mental wellbeing.

Evidence-Based Mental Health Programs

Schools implementing comprehensive mental health support typically incorporate multiple complementary approaches rather than relying on single interventions.

Professional Counseling Services: Licensed school counselors, social workers, and psychologists provide clinical assessment, individual therapy, crisis intervention, and connections to external mental health providers when appropriate. Research from the American School Counselor Association indicates that schools maintaining appropriate counselor-to-student ratios (recommended 1:250, though many schools far exceed this) show better student mental health outcomes, higher graduation rates, and fewer disciplinary incidents.

Peer Support Programs: Many students prefer seeking support from peers rather than adults, particularly for early-stage concerns before situations reach crisis levels. Peer mentoring and support programs train students to recognize warning signs, practice active listening, encourage help-seeking, and connect peers to appropriate resources. These programs extend support capacity beyond limited professional staff while building student leadership capabilities.

Universal Screening and Early Intervention: Systematic screening identifies students experiencing mental health challenges who might not proactively seek help. Brief evidence-based screening tools administered regularly help detect depression, anxiety, trauma symptoms, and suicide risk, enabling earlier intervention before conditions worsen. Schools implementing universal screening report identifying previously unknown high-risk students and connecting them to potentially life-saving support.

Social-Emotional Learning Integration: Programs like CASEL’s social-emotional learning framework teach students skills for managing emotions, establishing positive relationships, making responsible decisions, and developing self-awareness. When integrated throughout curriculum rather than isolated in discrete lessons, SEL approaches build foundational capabilities supporting mental wellness across diverse student populations.

Mindfulness and Stress Management: Evidence-based mindfulness programs teach students practical techniques for managing stress, regulating emotions, and developing present-focused awareness. Research demonstrates that regular mindfulness practice reduces anxiety and depression symptoms while improving focus, emotional regulation, and overall wellbeing. Schools implementing programs like MindUP report measurable improvements in student resilience and reductions in behavior problems.

Crisis Response Protocols: Comprehensive crisis response procedures ensure schools respond effectively when students experience mental health emergencies. Partnerships with crisis text lines like the national Crisis Text Line (text “HELLO” to 741741) provide students 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors. Clear protocols for suicide risk assessment, safety planning, family notification, and follow-up support help schools navigate difficult situations with appropriate care and legal compliance.

Creating Mental Health and Wellness Recognition Categories

Effective mental health recognition celebrates diverse contributions to school wellness culture rather than narrow definitions focusing only on specific activities or outcomes.

Peer Support and Mentorship Recognition

Students who consistently support peers through difficult times, demonstrate compassionate listening, and create safe spaces for vulnerable conversations deserve acknowledgment for these often-invisible contributions.

Recognition Elements:

• Student names and photographs creating personal connection to wellness contributions
• Descriptions of peer support roles—trained peer counselors, lunch buddy programs, new student mentors, crisis text line volunteers
• Specific examples of how students supported peers while maintaining appropriate confidentiality
• Training completed and skills developed through peer support programs
• Impact statements from program coordinators about students’ contributions
• Personal reflections about why mental health peer support matters to recognized students

Programs recognizing students of the month can easily incorporate wellness and peer support categories alongside traditional academic and behavioral recognition, demonstrating that schools value emotional support as much as academic achievement.

Mental Health Awareness Leadership

Students who organize awareness campaigns, lead educational initiatives, reduce stigma through advocacy, and engage communities in mental health conversations demonstrate leadership deserving prominent recognition.

Mental Health Leadership Recognition:

• Awareness Campaign Organizers: Students planning Mental Health Awareness Month activities, organizing wellness weeks, or creating educational campaigns reducing stigma
• Advocacy Leaders: Students speaking publicly about mental health, sharing personal recovery stories to inspire peers, or advocating for improved school mental health resources
• Support Group Facilitators: Students leading peer support groups for grief, divorce, LGBTQ+ support, substance abuse recovery, eating disorder support, or other specific challenges
• Event Coordinators: Students organizing suicide prevention walks, mental health fundraisers, community wellness fairs, or other events raising awareness and resources
• Social Media Advocates: Students creating mental health content through school social media, blogs, podcasts, or videos reaching broader audiences with wellness messages

Leadership recognition should include detailed descriptions of initiatives organized, measurable impact when available (students reached, funds raised, resources created), challenges overcome during implementation, and broader community response to student-led mental health initiatives.

Wellness Participation and Personal Growth

Recognizing students who actively participate in wellness programs, demonstrate personal growth in managing mental health challenges, or consistently practice healthy coping strategies encourages broader engagement with school wellness resources.

Wellness Participation Recognition:

• Consistent Wellness Program Engagement: Students regularly attending mindfulness sessions, participating in stress management workshops, or engaging with school counseling services
• Healthy Coping Strategy Demonstration: Students modeling positive stress management, emotional regulation, conflict resolution, and resilience-building behaviors
• Wellness Ambassador Roles: Students promoting wellness resources, encouraging peers to utilize support services, or serving as visible representatives of mental health initiatives
• Recovery and Resilience: When appropriate and with student consent, acknowledging students who successfully navigated mental health challenges, sought help, completed treatment programs, or demonstrated remarkable recovery (while being extremely careful about privacy, consent, and avoiding any stigmatization)

This category requires particular sensitivity. Recognition must celebrate wellness engagement without implying that mental health challenges represent personal failure or that recovery is simply a matter of effort. Thoughtful approaches celebrate help-seeking as strength, validate that recovery is non-linear, and acknowledge that managing mental health is ongoing work deserving support and recognition.

Inclusive Community Building

Students who actively create inclusive environments where all peers feel valued, welcomed, and supported contribute fundamentally to mental wellness by addressing isolation, exclusion, and social marginalization that exacerbate mental health challenges.

Inclusive Community Recognition:

• Anti-Bullying Leadership: Students actively intervening against bullying, creating safer social environments, or leading initiatives reducing harassment
• Diversity and Inclusion Advocacy: Students promoting acceptance of LGBTQ+ peers, racial justice, disability inclusion, or other diversity initiatives that reduce marginalization
• New Student Integration: Students welcoming new students, facilitating social connections, and preventing isolation that increases mental health risk
• Lunch Table Hospitality: Students intentionally including peers who typically eat alone, creating welcoming social spaces in cafeterias and common areas
• Class Community Builders: Students fostering positive classroom climates through encouragement, cooperation, and support of all classmates

According to research on school belonging and mental health published in the Journal of School Psychology, students experiencing strong school connectedness show significantly lower rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation compared to peers feeling isolated or excluded. Recognition programs building community belonging contribute to protective factors that support student mental wellness.

Staff Mental Health Support Recognition

While student-focused, comprehensive wellness recognition can acknowledge school staff members who champion mental health initiatives, provide exceptional support, or create particularly safe and supportive environments for students navigating mental health challenges.

Staff Recognition Categories:

• Counselors providing exceptional mental health support and crisis intervention
• Teachers creating emotionally safe classroom environments and demonstrating consistent student care
• Administrators championing mental health resource allocation and policy improvements
• Support staff (nurses, social workers, administrative staff) providing compassionate daily care
• Faculty advisors supporting student wellness organizations and mental health initiatives

Teacher appreciation and recognition programs can incorporate mental health support categories alongside traditional academic excellence recognition, signaling institutional commitment to holistic student development.

Implementing Digital Mental Health Recognition Displays

Modern recognition technology enables schools to celebrate mental health contributions through engaging platforms that extend visibility far beyond traditional bulletin board approaches.

Interactive Recognition Platforms

Digital recognition displays transform how schools acknowledge mental health and wellness contributions by creating engaging, exploratory experiences that generate substantially higher engagement than static traditional displays.

Digital Platform Advantages:

• Unlimited Recognition Capacity: Digital systems accommodate comprehensive recognition of all students contributing to wellness initiatives without physical space constraints limiting acknowledgment scope
• Rich Multimedia Storytelling: High-resolution photos, detailed impact narratives, video testimonials, and searchable profiles impossible with traditional static displays
• Immediate Updates: New wellness achievements can be acknowledged in real-time through cloud-based content management rather than waiting for physical production timelines
• Privacy Controls: Flexible privacy settings enable appropriate recognition while respecting students who prefer limited visibility or restricted audience access
• Universal Accessibility: Web-based platforms extend recognition globally rather than limiting visibility to on-campus visitors, enabling family and community engagement
• Engagement Analytics: Digital systems track interaction patterns revealing which wellness initiatives generate interest and how audiences engage with mental health content
• Social Sharing: Students can share wellness recognition through personal social networks, amplifying positive mental health messages to broader peer audiences

Solutions like Rocket Alumni Solutions provide purpose-built recognition platforms designed specifically for educational institutions, combining physical touchscreen displays for high-visibility campus locations with web accessibility ensuring comprehensive community engagement with wellness recognition.

Strategic Placement for Mental Health Visibility

Recognition display location significantly affects mental health program visibility and community engagement. Strategic placement decisions should consider traffic patterns, target audiences, and symbolic messaging about wellness priorities.

High-Impact Wellness Recognition Locations:

• Counseling Office Areas: Natural locations where students access mental health support, reinforcing that seeking help and supporting peers deserve celebration
• Student Commons and Cafeterias: High-traffic gathering spaces providing extended viewing time and normalizing mental health conversations in casual social environments
• Main School Entrances: Entry locations capture all daily traffic, communicating to students, families, and visitors that wellness represents institutional priority alongside academics and athletics
• Library and Academic Centers: Locations where students experience academic stress, providing visible reminders of available wellness resources and support
• Athletic and Activities Areas: Spaces serving students facing performance pressure, ensuring wellness recognition reaches populations potentially reluctant to seek mental health support

Multiple distributed displays throughout facilities often prove more effective than single concentrated installations, ensuring wellness recognition maintains consistent visibility across entire campus rather than requiring deliberate visits to counseling-specific locations that some students avoid due to stigma concerns.

Content Development for Mental Health Recognition

Creating compelling mental health recognition content requires particular sensitivity, student voice inclusion, and attention to messaging that reduces stigma rather than inadvertently reinforcing it.

Content Best Practices:

Use Person-First Language: Describe students as “experiencing depression” rather than “depressed students,” emphasizing that mental health challenges are conditions people experience rather than defining identity characteristics.

Celebrate Help-Seeking as Strength: Frame seeking counseling, using crisis resources, or asking for support as demonstrations of courage, self-awareness, and healthy decision-making rather than signs of weakness.

Include Diverse Wellness Demonstrations: Recognize various forms of wellness engagement—from intensive peer counseling training to simply practicing consistent self-care or attending mindfulness sessions—ensuring recognition feels accessible to students at different support capacity levels.

Emphasize Recovery and Hope: When appropriate, include recovery narratives demonstrating that mental health challenges are treatable, conditions improve with appropriate support, and students can thrive despite experiencing mental health difficulties.

Respect Privacy Absolutely: Never include recognition content without explicit student (and when appropriate, parent/guardian) consent. Provide opportunities for students to review content before publication and withdraw consent at any time.

Avoid Competitive Frameworks: Mental health recognition should never create competitive dynamics around wellness engagement or imply that some mental health work is more valuable than other contributions. Celebrate all authentic wellness efforts equally.

Integrating Wellness Recognition with Broader Programs

Mental health recognition proves most effective when integrated with comprehensive student recognition systems rather than isolated as separate, potentially stigmatizing programs.

Academic recognition programs can incorporate wellness leadership alongside traditional scholarly achievement, demonstrating that schools value emotional intelligence and peer support as much as grade point averages. Athletic recognition systems can celebrate student athletes who support teammates’ mental wellness, demonstrate resilience through challenges, or advocate for athlete mental health, connecting wellness to competitive athletics culture.

Comprehensive student achievement recognition incorporating academics, athletics, arts, leadership, service, and wellness demonstrates institutional commitment to developing well-rounded students who excel across multiple dimensions rather than narrow definitions of success focusing exclusively on traditional achievement metrics.

Overcoming Mental Health Recognition Challenges

Even well-intentioned wellness recognition programs encounter predictable obstacles requiring thoughtful strategies to address effectively.

Challenge: Privacy and Consent Complexity

Mental health information is particularly sensitive, and recognition programs must navigate complex privacy considerations ensuring acknowledgment doesn’t inadvertently harm students or violate privacy rights.

Solutions:

Obtain explicit, informed consent from students (and parents/guardians when appropriate) before including any mental health-related recognition. Consent processes should clearly explain what information will be shared, who will have access, how long content remains visible, and how students can withdraw consent at any time.

Create recognition tiers with different privacy levels: public recognition visible to all, school community recognition visible only to enrolled students and staff, or counseling office recognition visible only in limited locations. Allow students to choose appropriate visibility levels for their comfort.

Focus recognition on wellness contributions and leadership rather than personal mental health diagnoses or treatment details. Celebrate students who organized awareness campaigns or trained as peer counselors rather than highlighting specific mental health conditions students have experienced.

Establish clear review processes where mental health professionals review recognition content before publication, ensuring messaging appropriately balances celebration with privacy protection and stigma reduction.

Challenge: Avoiding Performative or Superficial Approaches

Mental health recognition risks becoming performative gesture rather than authentic commitment when programs celebrate wellness without adequately funding counseling services, training staff, or implementing evidence-based support programs.

Solutions:

Ensure recognition programs complement rather than replace substantive mental health support. Schools should maintain appropriate counselor-to-student ratios, evidence-based support programs, crisis intervention capacity, and professional development for all staff regarding mental health awareness before implementing recognition initiatives.

According to SAMHSA’s Project AWARE initiative, comprehensive school mental health approaches require sustainable infrastructure including trained personnel, evidence-based programs, strong community partnerships, and continuous evaluation—recognition enhances these foundations but cannot substitute for them.

Include data in recognition displays demonstrating concrete mental health program impact: number of students served, crisis interventions provided, support groups offered, training sessions conducted. This transparency demonstrates recognition celebrates authentic work producing measurable benefits.

Digital donor recognition programs can acknowledge community members and organizations whose financial support makes school mental health programs possible, connecting recognition to resource provision enabling actual services.

Challenge: Balancing Celebration with Sensitivity

Mental health recognition requires careful balance between celebrating contributions and remaining sensitive to students currently experiencing crisis, recent losses, or ongoing struggles who might find wellness celebration painful or alienating.

Solutions:

Include content addressing that mental health is ongoing work, recovery is non-linear, and seeking help at any point demonstrates strength. Recognition should inspire rather than create pressure or feelings of inadequacy for students not yet ready to engage with wellness resources.

Coordinate recognition timing thoughtfully. Avoid launching mental health recognition programs immediately following student suicides or crises when community is grieving. Allow appropriate time for healing before celebrating wellness initiatives.

Train program coordinators in trauma-informed approaches ensuring recognition content doesn’t inadvertently trigger students with trauma histories or current mental health challenges. Review content for potentially triggering language, imagery, or themes.

Provide clear information about available support resources alongside recognition displays, ensuring students who feel distressed while viewing mental health content know how to access immediate help.

Measuring Mental Health Recognition Program Impact

Systematic assessment demonstrates program effectiveness while identifying improvement opportunities ensuring recognition initiatives achieve intended goals and contribute to broader school wellness culture.

Quantitative Wellness Metrics

Schools should track measurable indicators potentially correlating with mental health recognition program implementation, acknowledging that multiple factors influence these outcomes beyond recognition alone.

Key Wellness Indicators:

• Counseling Service Utilization: Number of students accessing school counseling services, which ideally increases as stigma decreases and help-seeking normalizes
• Crisis Intervention Frequency: While hoping to prevent crises, tracking crisis intervention patterns reveals whether students request help before situations reach emergency levels
• Peer Support Program Participation: Number of students completing peer counselor training or volunteering for peer support roles
• Wellness Event Attendance: Participation in mental health awareness events, mindfulness sessions, stress management workshops, or other wellness programming
• Mental Health Awareness Campaign Reach: Students engaged through awareness initiatives, social media campaigns, or educational programming
• School Climate Surveys: Regular assessment of student perceptions regarding school support, adult care, peer relationships, and sense of belonging

Student engagement strategies incorporating wellness metrics alongside academic and behavioral indicators provide comprehensive assessment of holistic school climate and culture.

Qualitative Impact Assessment

Beyond quantitative metrics, gather qualitative feedback revealing recognition program influence on school culture, student attitudes about mental health, and perceived stigma reduction.

Qualitative Evaluation Methods:

• Student Focus Groups: Facilitated discussions exploring whether mental health recognition reduces stigma, encourages wellness engagement, creates more supportive environments, or influences student attitudes about seeking help
• Parent Surveys: Family perspectives on school mental health commitment, communication quality about wellness resources, and perceived support for student mental health needs
• Counselor Observations: Professional perspectives on whether recognition correlates with increased help-seeking, reduced stigma in student conversations, or shifts in school climate regarding mental health
• Teacher Feedback: Educator observations about student discussions of mental health, willingness to seek support, or changes in classroom climate related to emotional safety
• Community Partner Input: Perspectives from external mental health providers, crisis services, or community organizations partnering with schools on wellness initiatives

Regular feedback collection ensures programs remain responsive to stakeholder needs and perceptions rather than operating based on administrative assumptions about recognition impact.

Building Sustainable Mental Health Recognition Programs

Long-term program success requires systematic planning, adequate resourcing, staff training, and continuous improvement processes ensuring recognition remains active and effective across leadership changes.

Establishing Clear Program Governance

Designate specific staff responsible for mental health recognition content management, student nomination processes, consent procedures, and ongoing program evaluation. Mental health recognition coordination requires particular expertise combining understanding of recognition technology, sensitivity to mental health issues, knowledge of privacy requirements, and relationships with school counseling staff.

Create advisory committees including school counselors, mental health professionals, administrators, teachers, parent representatives, and student leaders ensuring diverse perspectives inform recognition decisions and privacy protocols receive appropriate professional review.

Integrating with Existing Mental Health Initiatives

Mental health recognition should connect seamlessly with school wellness programs, counseling services, and community partnerships rather than operating as isolated initiative disconnected from broader mental health work.

Coordinate recognition timelines with Mental Health Awareness Month (May), National Suicide Prevention Month (September), other wellness observances, and school-specific mental health events. Time recognition announcements to amplify awareness campaigns and maximize community engagement.

Partner with student wellness organizations, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) chapters, crisis services, and community mental health providers in recognition initiatives, acknowledging community partners who support school wellness efforts while extending recognition visibility beyond school boundaries.

Training and Cultural Change

Comprehensive training ensures all staff understand mental health recognition purposes, appropriate student support approaches, privacy requirements, and their roles in broader wellness culture development.

Training Program Elements:

• Mental health literacy helping all staff recognize warning signs of student distress
• Trauma-informed practices creating emotionally safe environments for all students
• Appropriate responses when students disclose mental health concerns
• Privacy and confidentiality requirements regarding student mental health information
• Reducing stigma through language choices and messaging approaches
• Available school and community mental health resources and referral procedures

According to research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, schools where all staff receive mental health training show better student outcomes, earlier intervention, and more effective crisis response compared to schools where only specialized personnel understand mental health support approaches.

Creating Comprehensive Wellness Recognition Culture

Effective mental health recognition represents one component of comprehensive wellness cultures where emotional wellbeing receives attention, resources, and celebration comparable to academic and athletic achievement.

Holistic Recognition Approaches

Schools committed to wellness culture implement recognition systems celebrating diverse student contributions including academic excellence, athletic achievement, artistic accomplishment, service leadership, character demonstration, and mental health support—communicating that all forms of student contribution matter and deserve acknowledgment.

Alumni recognition programs can incorporate mental health advocacy, demonstrating institutional commitment to wellness extends beyond current students to lifelong support of alumni mental health and celebration of graduates who contribute to mental health professions, advocacy, or community support.

Community Partnership and Resource Development

Comprehensive wellness recognition often inspires community support for school mental health programs. Visible celebration of student wellness contributions creates opportunities for donor recognition acknowledging community members and organizations whose financial support enables counseling services, peer support training, crisis intervention resources, and wellness programming.

Partnerships with local mental health organizations, hospitals, private practices, and crisis services extend school capacity beyond internal resources while creating recognition opportunities acknowledging community partners’ contributions to student wellness.

Future Directions in Student Wellness Recognition

Understanding emerging trends helps schools make forward-looking recognition investments remaining effective and relevant as mental health awareness continues evolving.

Integration with Digital Wellness Credentials

Educational institutions increasingly implement comprehensive digital credential systems where students accumulate verifiable achievement records across school years. Wellness contributions including peer support training, mental health awareness leadership, mindfulness practice completion, or crisis intervention certification will integrate with broader credential systems creating portable portfolios documenting holistic student development including mental health competencies valued by colleges and employers.

Artificial Intelligence and Personalized Wellness Support

AI capabilities will transform wellness recognition through natural language generation creating engaging narratives from program data, intelligent personalization adapting content based on viewer interests, automated resource connections providing viewers immediate access to relevant wellness supports, and predictive analytics identifying students who might benefit from wellness program participation based on engagement patterns.

Expansion Beyond Traditional Student Populations

Mental health recognition will expand to acknowledge diverse populations including faculty and staff wellness contributions, alumni mental health advocacy and professional achievement in mental health fields, family members supporting student wellness, and community partners providing mental health resources and services.

Transforming School Mental Health Culture Through Recognition

Student mental health represents education’s most pressing contemporary challenge and greatest opportunity for meaningful impact. Comprehensive wellness recognition programs demonstrate institutional commitment to mental health, reduce stigma surrounding emotional struggles, celebrate students who support peers through difficult times, encourage broader participation in wellness initiatives, and create school cultures where seeking help is normalized rather than stigmatized.

When schools invest in thoughtful mental health recognition—implemented with appropriate sensitivity, strong privacy protections, authentic connection to substantive support services, and integration with broader student achievement celebration—the benefits prove substantial: improved help-seeking behaviors as stigma decreases, stronger peer support networks reducing isolation, enhanced school climate and sense of community belonging, increased mental health program participation and engagement, and most importantly, students developing understanding that emotional wellness matters to their schools, their communities, and their futures.

Ready to transform how your school celebrates wellness and mental health contributions? Solutions like Rocket Alumni Solutions provide purpose-built recognition platforms designed specifically for educational institutions, offering intuitive content management, engaging interactive displays, comprehensive privacy controls for sensitive content, proven approaches helping schools build wellness cultures, and ongoing support ensuring successful implementation and sustained program success.

Your students demonstrate remarkable courage supporting peers through crises, leading awareness campaigns, practicing healthy coping, seeking help when struggling, and building inclusive communities where all students feel valued. Mental health recognition ensures these vital contributions receive acknowledgment that validates student efforts, inspires continued wellness engagement, reduces harmful stigma, creates lasting institutional commitment to student mental health, and builds school communities where every student’s emotional wellbeing receives the care, support, and celebration it deserves.