TIAH Leadership High School

13 TIAH CLUB HELPS STUDENTS STRUGGLING WITH A SILENT PANDEMIC

by Taylor Willmarth, editor One in five students is struggling with a mental health issue, according to the Center for Disease Control. CMR’s There Is Always Hope Club, or TIAH, has been bringing light to this issue for the last four years, but senior Jayme Ingalls says that their role is more pressing now than ever. The club focuses on mental health awareness and education, as well as spreading positivity in the education environment. “The club started about four years ago because a representative from Alliance for Youth wanted to see it incorporated into Great Falls Public Schools,” Ingalls said. “I have been president of the club for the last two years.” Students in the club have learned how to notice the signs that someone may be at risk for suicide, as well as how to best handle the sitiuation. “Being in TIAH has helped me look at the world differently,” Ingalls said. “I now try to look at a situation and identify who could be struggling with their mental health, and how I could help them.” The club has also attempted to bring joy into schools by spreading messages of positivity. Because COVID-19 has added stress to nearly every aspect of school, members placed sticky notes with encouraging messages on lockers around CMR during finals week earlier this year. “My favorite moments have been seeing a person’s day be

Left: A positive message on a student locker during finals week of the first semester. Photo by Taylor Willmarth. Right: TIAH Club president Jayme Ingalls. Photo courtesy of Jayme Ingalls.

positively impacted by something we have done,” Ingalls said. Ingalls noted that her involvement with the club has made an enormous impact on her life, and she doesn’t plan to let that stop after she graduates this Spring. “I am attending a small college in Texas, so if there is a program like this, I will definitely join it,” she said. “If there isn’t, I’ll probably try to establish one.”

STUDENTS LEARN TO LEAD IN LHS

Above: Leadership HS students making catapults. Right: Participants listen to a presentation. photos by Jamie Williams. by Justin Bollich, staff writer Leadership High School is an opportunity praised by many who have taken it, but what is it? “Leadership High School is an opportunity for juniors to learn about the community, to develop leadership skills,” Media Center Specialist Jamie Williams said. “We do a teambuilding day, we also do a day downtown in the city building, learning about city management, and the mayor, and the city council.” Some of the other interesting things participants experience are a community service day, held at the Cameron Family Center, and the STAR day, which stands for sports, tourism, arts, and recreation. The process to get into this program has a few steps. “There’s an application process where they fill out an application, write a short essay and also do an interview, depending on the number of kids we have,” Williams said. Being accepted into the program is well worth the time it tasks to apply, according to Williams. “It’s an awesome opportunity. If you talk to any student who’s ever done it everybody says it’s amazing; everybody likes it,” she said. “You learn about your community, you learn about yourself, and you also help others and develop leadership skills along the way.” While the benefits of the program are numerous there is a surprisingly low number of students involved. “Typically throughout the county there are about 60 students. At CMR we usually have between 15 and 25 students,” Williams said. She said her role is that of event planner and chaperone. “I also help organize the events. The events are held, typically, once a month throughout the community, so I’m the chaperone for the events, and I help organize them.”