SNOQUALUMIE, Wash. — Today marks the first day of the school year for several school districts in the region, including Snoqualumee Valley School District. For students, it's more than just the start of classes — it's also a return to the mental health support system.
When 500 freshmen packed into Mount Si High School gymnasium this week to begin their futures as Wildcats, there was a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
“I know everyone else feels the same way, everyone else is pretty nervous about going to a new school and meeting new people and starting new things,” senior Hannah Chen advised the freshmen, “But there are also a lot of people out there who are just supportive and you can always ask for help.”
Asking for help can be as simple as finding a classroom in the cleaning building, but students can also receive more in-depth help.
“We also have a psychologist at the school, so it's really nice to see her and I feel like there are a lot of teachers that are willing to help,” senior Allie Hetzel said, “I've had lunch with some of my teachers when I'm stressed, so knowing that there is a support system at Mount Sea definitely makes a difference.”
A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention youth survey found that while mental health remains a public health crisis, there are some silver linings: The survey found that 40% of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2023, a slight improvement from 42% in the 2021 survey.
The number of female students who reported symptoms of depression also dropped from 57% to 53%. Students who had seriously considered suicide dropped from 30% to 27%. The number of Hispanic students who reported feeling consistently sad or hopeless dropped from 46% to 42%, and the number of students who reported feeling unwell dropped from 30% to 26%.
The percentage of black students who attempted suicide also fell from 14% to 10%.
Dr. Katherine Essier, director of the CDC's division of adolescent and school health, called the change a positive development. “These are relatively small findings, but they're significant,” Essier said. “They suggest we may be moving in a positive direction. We're not out of the woods yet, but we're hopeful.”
The survey also looked at connectedness to school, with 55% of students saying they felt close to people at school, which researchers say is key to better mental health.
“If schools are safe and supportive, their mental health improves,” Ethier said, “so with 95% of young people in school for six hours a day, having them all in one place makes it the perfect place to bring some change to their routine, support them and improve their mental health.”
“We have a great counseling team and a lot of other stuff, but for me there are a lot of good things, especially the sports and clubs,” said Logan Green, a senior at Mount Si High School. “Sports and clubs are a great way to just relax and hang out with friends and just chill out.”
Mount Si Principal Deb Hay said fostering student well-being and a sense of belonging is included in the district's strategic plan.
“One of the things I focused on when I was hired was what the students are experiencing and how they're feeling as they go through school every day,” Hay said. “So it's not just about having a place for students to go, but also figuring out what's going on with them every day. How are they feeling when they walk down the hallway?”
The CDC survey also uncovered areas of growing concern in schools: 9% of students said they had been threatened with a weapon or injured on school grounds, up from 7% in 2021. The percentage of students who were bullied at school also jumped from 15% to 19%. Nearly 30% of LGBTQ+ students have been bullied at school, and about 2 in 10 have missed school due to safety concerns.
Ethier said research shows that making schools safer for LGBTQ+ students improves safety for all students, and they are working to reduce the stigma around mental health.
“We know that mental health literacy – understanding your emotions and knowing about your mental health – has the benefit of making people more likely to seek help,” Ethier said, “so the fact that we've reduced the stigma and given young people the words they need to describe their emotions and their mental health should translate into positive change in terms of young people not only understanding, but also having the ability to find the resources they need.”
