From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the staff will have the opportunity to “give themselves some much needed TLC,” and from 4 to 8 p.m., students and the community is invited to the campus for a “Harvest of Healing” event.
“We were looking for a way to slow the world down and take a little time to take care of ourselves,” said Superintendent Jesse Steiner. “We decided that it would be good to cancel classes for a day and take care of our staff. We didn’t want to stop there. We wanted to help the community as well. (So,) we decided that it was time for a Harvest of Healing.”
The day portion for staff will include self-care activities such as mental health specialist, yoga, meditation, sporting games, art therapy and more.
For the evening and community portion of the day, there will be food trucks, a bounce house, a Chick-Fil-A booth with a spin wheel to win a prize, an FFA petting farm and hot chocolate and more. Amazon has also donated money to help sponsor some of the events and is sending some workers to help, and the Cincinnati Bengals are sending face painters.
Steiner said the school year started in the “worst possible way,” and students, staff and the community are still healing.
“The healing process has been hard. It is easy to get overwhelmed from day to day events,” he said. “I can see the stress of my staff, see that people are stressed, I feel the stress... It was clear we needed to do something special for staff, students and the community.”
Greta Mayer, CEO of the Mental Health Recovery Board, said there are several ways to protect your mental health, and it’s never too late to take the time for it, such as like with this event.
“It’s never too soon or too late to assess your own mental health and wellbeing. Each person has a unique make-up and experiences that change over time,” she said. “Building healthy lifestyles, asking for help, and finding ways to connect with others for support are some of the ways to protect your mental and physical health.”
Mayer said about one in five people will develop mental health conditions a year, and almost half of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable condition during their lifetime, with half meeting criteria by age 14. She said conditions are related to a person’s biology, genes, personality, coping style, family, culture, community and the environment.
Prevention and treatment are effective, Mayer said, and identifying areas to improve and target for change can help, such as environmental, emotional, financial, social, spiritual, occupational, physical and intellectual.
The MHRB works with several care providers and community partners to help support people’s mental health, such as WellSpring, which offers youth-led prevention. They can help prevent illness from developing in the first place, reduce risk and course of illness, delay onset of illness, bring awareness to students and more.
Steiner said the Harvest of Healing event is still in the works, but they are looking for more organizations, groups and individuals to get involved by donating or running an activity or service.
“We want to (have) all kinds of things for the community to do, to come to the campus and be together, and laugh, and play, and have some fun,” he said. “We need lots of things for people to do to make this feel like a true fall festival and a true Harvest of Healing.”
Another area district has also previously taken time off the last two years related to mental health. Springfield City Schools closed the entire Thanksgiving week in 2022 and 2021 for students and staff to observe a “wellness week” to concentrate on their mental health.
Everyone is welcome to attend the community event. If interested in sponsoring or donating any activities, or volunteering, email Steiner at steinerj@nwlschools.org.
For more information about mental health or resources, visit www.mhrb.org, or call or text 988, which offers 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress.
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