By Jason Lin, Rishab Jain, Inaaya Yunus
Cougar Support Den teams gearing up for another awesome school year.
(Credit:: EVHS Yearbook)
Since the start of the 2021 distance learning school year, the Cougar Support Den (CSD) has been providing mental health support services to the students of EVHS. As the center for student support, CSD provides a learning environment for students to get support and feel comfortable.
“Our main goal and our main purpose is that in helping students we want to kind of provide different outlets of support. So with peer counseling with the emotional support with the mental support and the mutual empowerment that we have as students.” said Rachel, founder of CSD, “That mutual empowerment kind of applies to all of the other services, so with alumni and self educational awareness as well. That’s kind of our main goal to focus on accessibility, information, and again support to kind of get through to students and make sure that they have different resources.”
These aspirations of CSD originate in the impact which the COVID pandemic has had on our school community. Despite distance learning being 2 years ago, the effects of COVID still remain strong on the US’s and EVHS’s campus, particularly for student mental and social health in the return to normalcy.
“A lot of students’ needs weren’t being met and that’s not really the fault of anyone, just rather the educational system itself is not able to fully account for all of the different kinds of issues that students face, and so we wanted to create something that students can take direct action to help their peers and other students on campus as well.” said Rachel.
Currently CSD has been redesigned to be composed of a total of 6 teams:
Graphic Design who make all of CSD posters, flyers, infographics, and website graphics
Programming who create and manage the CSD website.
Connections who manage CSD social media and promotion on campus
Peer Counseling, who offer students an outlet to receive guidance & listening about their mental health concerns.
Self Educational Awareness or SEA, who creates informational guides to break down complex issues that are important to EVHS.
Alumni Outreach, who document EVHS alumni’s experience during and after high school.
“It's more of a 7-8 person team with Ms. Graves rather than just Rachel and Ms Graves. We are able to do a lot more and more perspective from other core team members…We have a lot more plans” said Sofia, head of CSD Connections.
Furthermore, CSD now has an on-campus site of operations known as the Wellness Center. The Wellness Center is located in D building where the original front offices are prior to their relocation into the new learning center. The officers of CSD are particularly excited about CSD’s new Wellness Center as a location for students and for students’ mental health.
“We are super, super lucky to have the mental health and wellness center that is brand new and that whole building is dedicated for us students. It is a resource for us. We have two amazing social workers who are always willing to talk to students and we have some many cool things in there.” said Sofia, “We have a yoga room, you are able to check in, there are couches. It is a very welcoming environment and there are a ton of things you can do to relax in school. There are coloring books, free journals, free fidget toys and stuff.”
Map of EVHS, Student Wellness Center located in the top-middle position.
(Credit::: EVHS Newspaper)
Overall, CSD is aiming to improve their outreach to the student body and boost the spirits of EVHS. CSD’s is currently working on their website which they hope to announce as a centralized hub of resources for students in support of both their academics and overall health.
“Our big thing this year that we are wanting to push is having a website. Something has been started, but not completed enough to publish yet.” said Ms. Grave, CSD’s Advisor, “It would be helpful for people to reference, see what’s going on, get information, and be able to make requests to see peer counselors.”
Much has certainly changed from the originally more digital CSD of 2021, and the impacts which CSD will make on campus with SEA and the peer counseling group are well within the making. If you or anyone you know would be interested in further contacting and inquiring about CSD please see: https://evergreenvalleyhigh.esuhsd.org/academics/help
“There are a variety of people in our service who genuinely can just be there and I know that it sounds a little bit difficult to trust at first, but the whole purpose of our program is, we’re here to help everyone who wants to come to us and even though it may be a bit intimidating at first just know that everyone has good intentions and we’re just here to help.” said Rachel.
“Definitely the members. I know there’s like 48 of us in CSD, but seriously like every single person in CSD offers something so unique and all of their personalities and their passions and their intentions and their drive is like, I really look up to it and admire it so much.”
Since CSD is rather new and is seen as a support center, I decided to ask Rachel about convincing someone to come to CSD for support since sometimes asking for help can be difficult. I asked her how she would convince a student who is a bit iffy on dropping by the Cougar Support Den.
“Well first I would say that I understand why they feel that way and you know, I think it’s not anything that I would hold against them just because they are iffy about it. I would tell them that, I think I would let them know that it’s just that there are a variety of people in our service who genuinely can just be there and I know that it sounds a little bit difficult to trust at first, but the whole purpose of our program is, we’re here to help everyone who wants to come to us and even though it may be a bit intimidating at first just know that everyone has good intentions and we’re just here to help.”
Comments