Next week will be You Matter Week put on by Coalition Teen Council and Student Government to focus on the importance of mental health. Each day will focus on a different mental health topic and is assigned a color for students to wear to show support. Monday is yellow for Suicide Prevention Day, Tuesday is green for Depression Awareness, Wednesday is blue for Anxiety Awareness, Thursday is purple for Healthy Relationships, and Friday is pink for Self-Care Day.  

There will be activities during all lunches of the week for both the Main Building and the Ninth Grade Center. Some of the planned activities include cornhole games and mini golf mats as well as coloring pages. There will be wristbands that say You Matter Week that will be given out for free at a table in the lunchrooms. Also at the table will be colorful banners that ask, “How Do You Cope?” and students will be able to write in their strategies. These banners will be hung up in both buildings. Friday is the big day though because the nearby Elementary Schools lent Dakota their gym class parachutes so there will be fun games going on. While people wait for a spot to open up for the parachutes there will be other card and board games including Uno and Jenga. This will be in the Main Building Community Room. 

There will be a Mental Health Assembly on Tuesday, April 25th during second hour. It will be held in the auditorium. Teachers can choose to take their students to the presentation. It will focus on mental health awareness and the importance of taking care of yourself.  

All day Thursday, April 27th will be the Main Building Mental Health Fair. Teachers were able to sign up to take their classes to the fair located in the indoor track on the second floor of the Main Building. There is planned to be almost double the number of vendors this year than the previous fair and they will all set up booths for students to come up to and participate in an activity to learn more about mental health topics. Vendors will come from various community agencies that support kids, teens and families. Many will also offer take-aways and resources for students, as well as opportunities to win prizes. 

The Ninth Grade Center will have its own Mental Health Fair on Tuesday, May 2nd. It will be in the Ninth Grade Center Gym and some tables may even be outside if the weather permits. The same vendors will be present for both fairs.  

Coalition Teen Council and Student Government have put a lot of effort into making You Matter Week special this year. It is a great collaboration between the two Dakota clubs to support an important cause. Mrs. Lange, club advisor for Coalition Teen Council, has led the organization for the upcoming week of activities. The goals of You Matter Week are to increase awareness of mental health challenges, decrease stigma, improve discussions and communication around common struggles, and promote healing.