This year, Milford Exempted Village School District (MEVSD) has introduced the Sources of Strength program in schools to promote resilience, mental health, and positive relationships among students. The program, now in its first year of implementation at McCormick Elementary, teaches students to recognize and use various "sources of strength" in their lives, such as family support, healthy friendships, mental health and physical well-being.
Sources of Strength relies heavily on the leadership of students, who act as peer mentors and role models to their classmates. Jennifer Cooper, a mental health interventionist at McCormick Elementary, and Keely Meer, the school psychologist, are guiding the students through this important initiative. They explained that students were selected by their teachers based on their leadership abilities and their representation of diverse social groups within the school.
“Our goal is to empower these student leaders to not only recognize their own strengths but also to help others do the same,” Cooper said. “This kind of peer-led support is essential for building resilience, which is something they will carry with them throughout life.”
The students are actively engaged in learning how to identify and leverage their own sources of strength. They are also helping to spread the message throughout their school by participating in campaigns and activities designed to engage their peers.
The importance of mental health has become more widely recognized in schools, and Sources of Strength plays a critical role in helping students understand and manage their emotions in a healthy way.
Zoey Wischmeyer from McCormick Elementary shared some examples of what she’s learned during her time meeting with fellow students for Sources of Strength meetings.
"We worked on a project where we explored what support can look like— taking your siblings out for ice cream, how healthy friendships mean lending a hand and how tutoring a friend when they need it," she explained.
Wischmeyer enjoys being part of the program because it gives her the opportunity to help other kids who may be struggling. “If one of your friends is having trouble with something, you can talk to them and just make them feel better,” she said, describing what makes a good friend in the program.
Meer echoed the importance of fostering good mental health at a young age. “If students are going through a hard time, it’s important they have these sources of strength to pull from,” she said.
The student leaders are taking an active role in planning and leading activities. From making posters to creating school-wide campaigns, these initiatives are designed to reach students of all ages. Cooper and Muir shared that the peer leaders even present weekly announcements, which has been met with enthusiasm.
“The students are already coming up with their own ideas for campaigns and ways to get the message across to the rest of the school,” said Cooper. “It’s great to see how excited and engaged they are in leading this effort.”
In fact, during a recent meeting, Zoey and her fellow student leaders came up with the idea to create a poster for the "Start with Hello" campaign, encouraging classmates to be more inclusive and welcoming.
For more information regarding the Sources of Strength program, visit: https://sourcesofstrength.org/