SERVE DAILY
Positive in the Present Beloved principal says goodbye to his school but continues to champion mental health
By Shellie Peterson
Bart Peery, the beloved principal at Salem Hills High School for more than 10 years, is saying goodbye this year to the students he has come to love. He is going to the Advanced Learning Center, which is located two blocks from the high school. The Advanced Learning Center is where students from five local high schools (Payson High School, Maple Mountain High School, Salem Hills High School, Springville High School, and Spanish Fork High School) can come to take specialized early college classes (such as robotics, aviation, and engineering). Peery is excited about this new venture in his life but will surely look back with nostalgia at his time with the students and faculty at Salem Hills High School.
Peery is known for his rigorous attention to the mental health of his students. “We try to be very open about talking about mental wellness. When I first came here, we had a suicide about three years in and it rocked my world. So, we did some research and found some stuff from Shawn Achor who wrote The Happiness Advantage,” he said. Pulling inspiration from Shawn Achor’s book, Peery helped imple- Bart Peery ment an initiative in Salem school] teacher, I could Hills High School. influence 30 people, “We call it being posbut as a principal I can itive in the present,” he influence the whole said. school.” As part of the iniPeery realized that as tiative, each student a high school teacher, is given a handbook he could influence the and encouraged to lives of 200 kids, but write down and do the as an administrator, following five things he had the potential every day: to influence the lives 1-Write down three of 1,400 kids. That things they’re grateful thought helped him for. make up his mind 2-Write down one about becoming a positive experience that principal. happened in the last 24 Peery initially had no desire to pursue administration. But he discovered after getting administrative licensing through SUU and doing some internships that he loved it. When he was still considering going into administration, his 5th-grade teacher told him something that would change his life: “As an [elementary
“I’m a firm believer that we can change the world, and I think we can do that one person, or one student at a time.”
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Courtesy photo
Principal Bart Peery (center) is honored with the Secondary Principal Crystal Owl Award 2021.
hours. 3-Exercise. 4-Meditate. 5-Do a conscientious act of service. Peery explained that doing these small things can make a big difference in mental health. To help in this effort, Salem Hills High School has hosted some parent wellness nights over Zoom. “I just think really it’s the culture that needs to change. If you break your leg, you don’t try to hide that. And if your mind is broken, we need to talk about that. I think we need
to work to end the stigma of mental illness and just talk to people,” Perry said. Peery encourages parents to talk to their kids about mental health. He also urges students who know someone who’s struggling with mental health or who are struggling themselves to talk to an adult. Peery explains that although he’s not qualified to help someone with mental health challenges, he can serve as a liaison to get them the help they need. As Peery closes out
the school year and prepares to move on to the next opportunity in his life, he wants to thank the students and parents at Salem Hills High School. “It’s been a marvelous journey these past 10 and a half years and they’ve helped me grow and I hope I’ve helped them grow and together we’re making the world a better place. “I’m a firm believer that we can change the world, and I think we can do that one person, or one student at a time.” (Peterson is a Serve Daily contributor.)
JUNE 2021
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