After a turbulent last year and a half due to the pandemic and the mental health repercussions resulting from it, Prep juniors Alex Ruelos and Hanna Roth found it imperative that a mental-health-focused club be formed at Prep. After a brainstorming and planning process lasting eight months, Every Mind Matters (EMM) was introduced at the club fair. The club focuses on mental health by erasing the stigma associated with it and providing education for the Prep community by advocating and supporting one another.

Roth shared that, “Over quarantine, I would rant and call Alex constantly just checking in with each other, and we realized that maybe not everyone has someone they can confide in, especially during the pandemic and about mental health.”

Through the help of the counseling department, EMM aims to “create an additional support system [of] student-to-student conversations” as opposed to student-to-teacher, which can feel less approachable for some students. “We also hope through our education and awareness that the stigma around mental health will dwindle and people can become more accepting,” Roth and Ruelos shared.

Approximately 100 students signed up for EMM during the club fair, a number higher than expected by club leadership, on which Ruelos exclaimed, “we are so happy and thankful for everyone’s love and support. It is also heartwarming to hear from so many teachers asking when our meetings are so they can also participate.”

EMM plans to meet once a month, generally during Tuesday lunches. A typical meeting will educate about a particular mental health struggle and offer coping mechanisms, possibly including guest speakers. Ruelos added, “Some topics we plan to focus on are anxiety, depression, suicide, eating disorders, and body dysmorphia. We plan to explore more topics later on as well as get suggestions from students on what they would like to hear about.”

The club will offer support for those who wish to learn more about managing positive mental health habits in themselves and others. After this year of social distancing and increased mental health issues, it will bring a lot to the Prep community. Small-group check-in sessions will also be offered for students.

Counselors Mr. Johnston and Dr. Rosellini moderate the club and are ecstatic about EMM’s mission to reduce stigma. Rosellini said, “We fully support our EMM leadership team; they are incredible! We believe that raising mental health awareness and reducing stigma is of utmost importance, and we are happy that there are so many motivated students that feel the same way. We are very excited to get this club off the ground!”

“We are so grateful that the school trusts us with this club and that the counselors are on board with us. We look forward to our first meeting, first year, and what the future entails. The leadership team and the counseling office have put in so much time and effort, and we hope that the Prep community can take this as an opportunity to benefit from!” Roth added.

If you’d like to get involved in EMM, show up to a meeting and ask to be added to the club list!