Mental Health Minute: Kimberly High School's Sources of Strength group

KIMBERLY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — High school can be difficult for many students, whether inside or outside the classroom. In this week’s Mental Health Minute, a group of Kimberly High School students wants to spread positivity.

“The goal eventually, we’d love to get to the point where our students recognize where their Sources of Strength are but also help them to be a Source of Strength,” said Morgan Giles, Sources of Strength adviser and math teacher at Kimberly High School.

Sources of Strength is a nationwide nonprofit that aims to spread hope, help and strength in their communities.

Locally, Kimberly High School has adopted this goal and started its Sources of Strength group.

“We try and put on, or we try to have campaigns that we run where we focus on something specific. The Sources of Strength has this wheel, this color wheel that has all these different areas where we can find strength and things,” Giles said.

A couple of students in the group shared their experiences with these campaigns.

“We had a hot cocoa stand so that you could stay warm during the holidays. We helped join in with a food drive,” said Alexis Garcia, a freshman.

“We would hold stuff to make people happy and smile, this year we did an assembly for everybody,” said senior Maddie Morgensen.

Despite all this event planning, the group is still in the building stages, with only about 15 members.

“We have a small group, but it’s amazing because you get to connect one-on-one with them,” Morgensen said.

This connection has helped younger students as they have made the transition from middle to high school.

“It has really made me enjoy having classes that, as an advanced student, I don’t really know many other people being a freshman with the upperclassmen, so having them there, having them stay and help is really, really beneficial, and it’s great to have those upperclassmen connections,” Garcia said.

The CDC lists social connection as one of the most important factors for mental health, and this group aims to be a strength to those not only in the group but the entire school.

“This is a labor of love. Service truly is about, can you show love and compassion to those around you? Can you go be outside of yourself to lift up others? It takes the right person,” Giles said.

Garcia added a parting message: “Mental health is a big thing. Don’t put it off. It’s important.”

Kimberly High School will host Scrolling for Solutions on March 3, a community discussion about social media and youth mental health. The event will begin with a dinner at 6 p.m. and the main event at 6:30 p.m.

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