In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lompoc Unified School District has been expanding its social-emotional learning program to help students navigate heightened anxiety and other mental health-related issues as they returned to in-person learning.
“We saw that the needs were really big; the district was awesome in supporting us by giving us more roles to expand the team,” said Emily Stone, a Lompoc Valley Middle School social-emotional learning counselor.
Lompoc Valley Middle School increased its mental health services after the pandemic and now has four counselors on campus; a Family Services Agency campus liaison for family needs; a school-based social worker; and a recently designated wellness room, all with the goal of giving students the long-term tools they need to help with mental health, Stone said.
“I think there’s really nothing more that any counselor in this field wants—our entire purpose, goal, even why we wake up in the morning is to make sure their needs are met,” she said. “I think we want to continue to build it out … and can address bigger issues. We’re working on addressing it not just five days a week.”
To address student career aspirations, the social-emotional learning counselors are introducing the first career week at Lompoc Valley Middle School from April 8 to 11 where counselors will bring in professionals from various fields to speak to students and host two keynote speakers to inspire students during their learning, Stone said.
“We felt we were hitting those needs too late,” Stone said. “[Many students] were not feeling they have a future, not feeling that they can get there. So if they can talk to people who have the same experiences and got to the places they wanted to go, that might keep them going.”
To help prepare for the career week, she said, students participated in career exploration during their English classes where the counselors gave a presentation about jobs versus careers and conducted surveys on their top three choices. The English department followed this with a unit about career goal-setting, finding colleges, and degrees that would help students achieve their career ambitions.
The wellness room on campus provides a designated space for students to work on their mental health, with couches and beanbag chairs to create a more casual and comfortable atmosphere. In the room, students can work at the breathing station, a coloring station, and a hands-on station with clay and kinetic sand. They can also relax in a recently donated meditation dome.
Students regularly meet for academies—groups meant to give students the tools they need to address mental health-related needs. Based on student surveys, the academies are designed to directly address what students are reporting they are experiencing, Stone said.
“I ran four on managing stress and anxiety and three on anger management, self-esteem for boys and girls, communication and college and career readiness, and one on grief targeted on student need,” she said, adding that she hopes these groups will plant seeds for lifelong help with these needs.
With the new social worker and family liaison in place, Lompoc Valley’s social-emotional learning counselors hope to provide more parent programming and connect families to additional community resources, Stone said.
“If you’re just helping the students, that might not address the bigger picture or issue,” she said. “I hope to plant the seed and make generational change, but if we address this with our families now, then hopefully we don’t have to wait as long.”
Highlights
• The Santa Maria Public Library announced a succulent exchange on April 6 from 11 a.m. to noon in the Lavagnino Plaza, 421 South McClelland St. Participants are asked to bring pest-free clippings of their favorite succulents to trade and share with other succulent lovers. Succulents come in a variety of shapes and sizes, are eco-friendly, easy to grow, and require minimal watering and maintenance. Direct questions to (805) 925-0994, Ext. 8562.
• The California Department of Education and the California Continuation Education Association (CCEA) Plus named Delta High School a 2024 Model Continuation High School for its comprehensive services to at-risk youth through use of exemplary instructional strategies, flexible scheduling, and guidance and counseling services. Continuation schools provide a high school diploma program for students who have not graduated from high school, are required to attend school, and are at risk of not completing their education. More than 430 continuation high schools serve close to 51,000 students throughout the state. Model Continuation High Schools excel and provide exceptional opportunities for their students to pursue academic and social success. The 31 schools selected as Model Continuation High Schools retain their designation for three years and will be recognized at the CCEA Plus 2024 state conference.
Reach Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor at [email protected].
