JEFFERSON CITY — The new school year is in full swing at Immaculate Conception, where a unique partnership established last year has prepared the school for a year stocked with mental health resources.
While Math, Reading, PE, and even Art are essential subjects to retain in school, Immaculate Conception acknowledged mental health as equally important.
“We are a tier 3 school. So each year, we do a screening of all of our students for their social-emotional behavior at school. And that is a teacher-led screening, but we also get some parent input, too. And from that screening, we can see what students are at risk for,” said Heather Schrimpf, Immaculate Conception Principal.
After a longtime school counselor retired, leaving current counselor Emily Rowland to serve all students, the need captured Shrimpf’s attention.
“Kids were reaching out, that they were having a hard time, or they weren’t getting along with friends, or there was stuff going on at home, or parents were reaching out because there were things going on at home, or teachers were reaching out because we’re having issues at the playground. So each year, the number of students that I started to see one-on-one continued to increase. There was a greater need for doing small group work, said Counselor Emily Rowland.
“Anxiety is higher. We’ve seen an increase in lots of different peer relationship changes. And that has to be significantly due to social media and what they are exposed to every day,” said Schrimpf.
That’s when longtime friend of Rowland, Landra Collins, came in last year, using their working relationship to create an atmosphere of trust amongst students.
“So last year we had made really good intentions with our fifth grade up to our eighth grade to be able to see them weekly, at least once. And then the second time, we would help facilitate a study hall, we see them not just in class time. We sub for each other if we need to get pulled or if there’s a student having a crisis, they know there’s one of us that’s always available,” said Collins.
New resources made room for creativity.
“So after they would get done with their homework, they really kind of took an interest in playing games or learning how to crochet. They’re learning how to have those interpersonal skills, which we lost a lot of over the years, not just because of technology, just because of things changing,” said Collins.
“I mean, you keep your fingers busy, and a lot of times you can learn a lot easier, too. And they disconnect when they’re doing, they’re not getting texts about the drama that’s going on,” said Rowland.
Last year’s activities to help students unplug, manage stress and anxiety, and develop interpersonal skills have evolved into a broader program, reinforcing the school’s focus on mental health.
“Now we’re going to turn those into some service projects this year. But so we really liked being able to stay with the same kids.”
Some of the service projects Rowland and Collins hope to participate in are creating hats and scarves for local shelters and working on Jefferson City’s Poppi project.
Through creative coping strategies and an increased counselor presence, Immaculate Conception aims to make mental health a lasting school priority.
“It’s not a stigma anymore. It has to be a common conversation,” added Schrimpf.
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