Mental Health Matters Here: How Jericho High School Supports Students’ Mental Health
BY VIVIENNE SCHARF ’27
Jericho is known for empowering students to academically achieve, but an equally important district-wide priority is supporting students’ wellness and mental health on their academic journey. Backed by a strong counseling team, initiatives like Nest and Wellness Days help Jericho excel at educating the whole student. At Jericho, parents, teachers, and administrators work together to support students in every part of their lives, ensuring they feel encouraged, heard, and cared for both in and out of the classroom.
Jericho takes a proactive approach to emotional support and mental-health resources, recognizing the rising stress students face today. Guided by empathetic administrators, counselors, and teachers, the district directly confronts these pressures to ensure students feel supported. Jericho High School Assistant Principal Mr. Demetrios Mendonis noted that social media and technology contribute significantly to this growing strain. Mr. Mendonis said, “I think the stress levels for students today are much higher than when I was in school.”
Luckily, Jericho has a strong core team in place to give students as much support as possible. School Psychologist Dr. Danielle Smith said, “We are very fortunate at Jericho High School to have seven dedicated school counselors. Since our student-to-counselor ratio is low, each counselor is able to build strong connections and get to know the students on their caseload. In addition, we are fortunate to have myself, Mr. Velez, and Dr. Goldstein available to provide extra support for students who may be struggling.”
Dr. Smith’s club, the Jericho Mindfulness Ambassadors Club (JMAC), also supports the community in fostering a culture of wellness at Jericho High School. JMAC assists Dr. Smith in running and attending various events centered on mental health awareness and education, including the Long Island Suicide Prevention Walk, P.S. I Love You Day, and Mental Health Awareness Month.
JMAC also supports parents in building a toolbox necessary to understand and support student wellness at home. Such was seen through JMAC’s Back-to-School Night table, where parents built their own stress balls while also learning about the most updated mental health resources for their students. With Dr. Smith’s leadership, the student-run JMAC ensures that the entire Jericho population feels represented. JMAC normalizes and encourages open conversation about identity, mental health and belonging, while also extending best practices into students’ homes.
Jericho High School’s Wellness Days are also critical in fostering a school-wide culture of wellness. During these Wellness Days, staff are encouraged to engage with their students in fun content-related activities that focus on relaxation and the prioritization of mental health. Wellness Days anchored in presentations from topical guest speakers surrounding mental health as it pertains to the relevance of Jericho’s student body. For this October’s Wellness Day, Eric Kussin from the #SameHere Global Mental Health Movement came in and gave a presentation about his personal experience regarding mental health.
Kussin destigmatized seeking out support for mental health, stating through his own experience that mental illness is not something we go through alone; it affects each and every single one of us in our own way. His goal in the #SameHere movement is to get rid of the stigma behind believing we are alone in the fight against our struggles.
Kussin said, “You’re not stuck just because you’re dealing with something right now. If your label is ADD, OCD, ADHD, depression, anxiety, that’s just something you’re dealing with. Your superpower is how you get over that, how you overcome that, and how you get to the next place in your life, using what you learned from it.”
Jericho High School’s many mental-health initiatives echo Kussin’s message: students are not alone. With support from counselors, administrators, teachers, families, JMAC, Wellness Days, and Nest, Jericho makes one thing clear: mental health matters here.