The Baldwinsville Central School District is excited to announce that we will be conducting teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) training for all Durgee Junior High School and C.W. Baker High School students who are taking a health class this school year.  

The tMHFA training is an evidence-based training that teaches teens how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges in their friends and peers. The training gives teens the skills they need to have supportive conversations with their friends and emphasizes the importance of getting help from a responsible and trusted adult.

This is the second year the district has offered this training. Last year it was offered to Baker students during physical education classes.

 “We are so excited to be running this in our health classrooms,” said Director of Pupil & Personnel Services Jenna Wolken. “Our staff are fully trained and will be able to truly dive into some rich and meaningful conversations with students about mental health.”

Young people often turn to each other when stressed or upset and try to help, sometimes taking on too much.  tMHFA teaches them they don’t have to take these problems on alone. 

“The training leaves each student with a framework and language to use if/when their friend comes to them experiencing some type of mental health challenge or crisis,” Wolken said. “This program can and has saved lives, and we look forward to continuing this important work together.”

The course is being taught by school support staff and administration.  All instructors teaching the course have received special, intensive training and are certified to teach the course by Mental Health First Aid USA, a division of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

“The support this training provides for our students is invaluable and its impact far reaching,” said Baker Principal Kris Denton. “Our goal is to educate and empower students to be able to help themselves and each other, by knowing when and how to ask for help. This program removes barriers to discussing teen mental health and addresses the difficult conversations that can save and enrich lives.”

Expanding the program to junior high school students was a high priority for the district. 

“We are excited to be expanding this program to our students at Durgee Junior High School,” said Durgee Principal Thomas Fraher. “This is something that will benefit our whole Baldwinsville community, especially in light of recent events the last few years.”

The course is taught in six 40-minute sessions. Teens who participate in tMHFA will receive a certificate of completion for taking the course and a manual to use during the course that they can take home after the last session.  

“Mental health is a topic that has been at the forefront of many of our conversations as administrators and educators,” said Superintendent Dr. Joseph DeBarbieri. “We want to create an environment where students feel safe, understood and supported. This training is a powerful tool to reach that goal.”

Kristin Slemmer is the health teacher at Durgee and Jeanna Gates is the health teacher at Baker.