Central Catholic High School [CCHS] in Bloomington is getting its first counselor dedicated solely to mental health. The role is funded through a $1 million endowment from community members Jan Egbers and Jim Bob Morris.
Conversations to boost mental health services at CCHS have been going on for the past two years, said school President Sean Foster. Egbers and Morris were included early on.
“We've been developing this for a while, so we have the structure, we have everything built out now. We just need to implement it,” he said.
The idea, Foster said, is to list the opening for a wellness counselor in winter and have someone ready to go at the beginning of the next academic year.
Filling a gap
Getting the position filled, Foster added, is important to administration. When the school learned two years ago of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study that highlighted around 40% of students have persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, he said it was alarming.
“If that's true, that means four out of every 10 kids in our building have those feelings, have those thoughts,” Foster said.
At that time, the school spoke to every student about where they thought CCHS could improve. Survey results showed there were perceived gaps in mental health services, which sparked the conversation with Egbers and Morris to fund a solution. Eventually, they landed on an endowment for a wellness counselor.
CCHS already has two more traditional guidance counselors, and it hired a learning behavior specialist dedicated to helping students with learning or behavioral challenges this year.
Available to students, staff, alumni
The counselor will be available to the entire student population, which currently sits at 318, but Foster said is expected to increase by around 100 in the next four years. He said staff and administration should also benefit from training, “so we know how to better engage and help our students.”
Alumni should also benefit, Foster said, adding that CCHS keeps in touch with its students post-graduation and expects the wellness counselor will too. For example, when students go to college for the first time.
“They'll have a familiar, friendly voice that they know they can call they can reach out to if they're struggling with anything,” Foster said.
Contributing to larger campaign
Egbers and Morris’ gift is the largest CCHS has ever received, Foster said. It also brought the school 10% closer to fulfilling its $10 million campaign, which was announced earlier this year. Foster said the school is 90% of the way there now.
Mental health is only a piece of the larger campaign. Foster said the school is also interested in increasing tuition assistance opportunities for students and gradually raising pay for teachers, since they currently make less than their public school counterparts.
CCHS has already used some funds to replace the track and turf on its football field.
