PACIFIC BEACH – As an International Baccalaureate school, Pacific Beach Middle students in grades 6-8 are required to perform community service each year.
In eighth grade, their volunteer service is formalized in a five-month effort to benefit the Pacific Beach community. Working individually or in small groups, students select a topic that will result in a larger community benefit. Topics selected require careful research leading to a plan to meet the ongoing community need.
The project requires month-by-month planning, publicity and focused activity and culminates in a showcase. This year, each community service project will be presented at the IB Showcase from 5-7 p.m. March 12 at Pacific Beach Middle School.
Eighth-grade students Esther Owolabi, Catherine Miller, Marin Busby and Emma Steinberger chose mental health awareness as their focus. The students were committed to creating a meaningful project.
“My friends and I knew we wanted to do a community service project together,” Marin said. “We are the four eighth-grade ASB officers representing the school, so we knew that all four of us doing a project together would be effective.
“Since we have gone through the middle school experience, we knew we wanted our project to be directed toward students our age. As we brainstormed topics, we realized that mental health is a big issue among teens, especially in the modern world we live in.”
Added Catherine: “This topic is quite serious, and honestly, more relevant than it should be for teens around our age. I want to make a difference for someone in my school if I can. If something I say happens to impact someone else even in the slightest way, or even come close to reducing the statistics of suicide attempts or, unfortunately, deaths, that would be enough for me.”
The four students decided to hold a school-wide assembly that would focus on raising awareness of mental health. They faced several challenges, including obtaining the support of the school staff, creating a presentation and organizing an effective assembly that would appeal to sixth, seventh and eighth-graders.
“We worked with our school’s counselors, the Wellness Center coordinator and our school administration to accomplish this goal,” Emma said. “Our goal with this project was to inform students about suicide prevention, share current statistics regarding mental health issues, and provide each student with a small packet that includes anxiety-relieving toys, stickers, a bracelet and helpful resources and phone numbers.”
From left, Catherine Miller, Emma Steinberger, Esther Owolabi, and Marin Busby and the resource packets for their presentations on mental health awareness. They organized assemblies as part of their IB community service project at Pacific Beach Middle. (Photo courtesy of Pilar Agejas)The three school assemblies – one for each grade level – were held on Jan. 16. The carefully prepared slide presentation emphasized a clear explanation of mental health, common mental health disorders and self-harm. Strategies to maintain good mental health were presented, as well as learning to recognize signs of poor mental health. Important resources were shared both from the stage in the formal presentation and in the resource packet distributed afterward.
“I believe that the outcome surpassed our expectations,” Esther said. “We were able to keep all students engaged during our presentation and incorporate thought-provoking elements within our project to carry such a vital message across to the students attending our assembly.”
The girls did encounter bumps in the road.
“Yes, tears were shed throughout the project, as it was stressful and time-consuming, but the rewarding feeling that we received once the project was over was truly worth all the down moments,” Emma said. “Knowing that this assembly could impact or help a student’s life was what motivated us the most and helped us accomplish the project.”
“Our process along the way was definitely harder than we thought it would be,” Marin said. “Everything that happened took place for a good reason, and I am so happy with how it all turned out.”
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