Information from District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold

Yesterday I visited Chief Sealth International High School to learn how they are addressing student mental health using City funding I championed.  Denny Middle School also received funds this year.

Principal Ray Garcia Morales and Rachel Evans, Academic Intervention Specialist, shared their quick work to prioritize and deploy this funding to benefit Latinx students, who recorded the highest levels of absenteeism and school avoidance: one of the more obvious ways that mental health issues present in Chief Sealth students.

• Students enrolled in the Proyecto Saber classes participated in a workshop series focused on ancestral, intergenerational, interpersonal trauma, healing, joy and resiliency, applicable to all areas of their lives.
• Latinx female identifying students participated in a 16-week afterschool program to develop and expand their understanding of their community and cultural identify, including psychoeducation, coping strategies, and mental health care.
• A new staff member forged relationships directly with students and families to connect them to Sealth by providing academic support, facilitating restorative conversations with students and teachers, supporting attendance goals, and involving students in soccer and boxing teams.

I am so grateful to Principal Morales and Rachel, as well as Department of Education and Early Learning Director Dwane Chappelle and staff Chris Alejano and Amelia Moore (pictured below!) for the care, creativity, and passion they brought to this work.  I’m happy to report that the learnings from this project will inform an increased City investment in student mental health next year.