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It’s not easy being a freshman in high school. Harder classes, more responsibility, and simply being a teenager can all lead to more stress, anxiety, and challenges to any student’s mental health.
Steel Valley ninth grader Daniel Baldwin is grateful that he has a strong support network to help him navigate the first year of high school. From his close friends to the support of teachers and coaches, Baldwin knows he has a network of people he can rely on when he needs a lift.
“I’ve got two coaches that work in the school in Olando Dulin and Kevin Clarke,” Baldwin said. “Since they’re my coaches, too, they know more about me.”
Baldwin was part of a group of nearly two dozen students who Mr. Dulin, the district’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator, and Mr. Clarke, the district’s community liaison, took to the fifth annual Woodland Hills Student Summit on March 8. The summit features discussions on hand-picked topics like mental health, racial and social equity, gun violence, and much more. This year’s Student Summit featured 18 school districts from five counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania and was hosted by Penn State Greater Allegheny.
Baldwin and other Steel Valley students who participated in the discussions said the mental health session was particularly valuable.
“I know some people who deal with anxiety and stuff,” said senior Michayla Rager, who also attended one of the mental health discussions. “I just know these little things from hearing from other people and how they deal with it, too.”
The Student Summit was formed at Woodland Hills primarily to address gun violence in district communities, but it has grown to include a wide range of urban, suburban, and rural districts and has expanded its focus on topics picked by student leaders. Mental health has been one of the most in-demand discussion groups the past few years.
“I think we’re starting address to it more, but some people don’t want to come out and ask for help,” Rager said of addressing mental health issues for teens. “It’s really dependent on both sides. It’s getting there, but it’s not there yet.”
Rager and freshman Jillian Brugman were also part of a discussion group about humanitarian services, which included disability awareness and more.
“The humanitarian thing opened my eyes to how much some immigrants struggle with the language barrier in schools,” Brugman said. “Like at Steel Valley, we have some Spanish speaking students who don’t really have a way to communicate with their teachers. That made me think about how Steel Valley could have a program or a club that could help with those language barriers.”
Rager added that the different scenarios the group discussed led to additional stories from the participants.
“It’s nice to hear other people’s stories and listen to where they came from,” she said. “It helps people feel more comfortable to tell their own stories.”
A discussion group centered on police relations utilized different scenarios to educate participants on how to reduce their anxiety when interacting with law enforcement and how to formulate positive relationships with police. Baldwin said it also included some practical advice.
“They gave me some things to do if a cop were to approach me or like tips for traffic stops,” Baldwin said. “Like how to keep my hands high so they don’t think I’m going down, or if it’s dark out if I’m pulled over to turn on my lights. Just anything to keep everybody safe.”
This was the first year Steel Valley students participated in the summit. Rager, Brugman, and Baldwin all said they’d like to see new activities or clubs at Steel Valley to address some of the topics and help support activities already being conducted by existing clubs or groups like SADD and student government. They’d also encourage Steel Valley students to participate in future summits.
“There’s things that can really help you in the real world,” Baldwin said.
