BUFFALO, N.Y. — In recent years there has been a bigger focus on mental health in schools with more resources devoted to helping students. One local school is expanding that focus to the whole family.
Over 100 students and their families from South Buffalo Charter School are coming together to talk about one thing, mental health.
South Buffalo Charter School staff have been talking about hosting a night like this one since the Spring, but they wanted to host an event at the start of the school year.
They picked a day in October because last week was World Mental Health Awareness Day.
On October 18th, students will be able to do hands-on activities like yoga and fitness activities. They will also learn coping tools by making stress balls, scented Play-Doh, and shaker bottles. Parents, on the other hand, will be able to talk to community agencies about mental health in their homes and families.
Carole Taggart is a school counselor at the school and helped organize the event. She hopes both parents and students will find new resources to use when they are struggling.
"Well, ever since coming back from COVID we have really seen a huge increase in the number of kids that need support from the counselors here at school. We have increased our counseling staff over the last couple of years to help meet those needs. And, we just really want to put mental health and the needs of our kids in the forefront and really work with them and work with their families to do everything we can to support them," Carole Taggert, a school counselor at South Buffalo Charter School.
Taggart said there will also be motivational speaker to speak with families. South Buffalo Charter School staff hope to continue to do events like these in the coming years.