Plum student earns Eagle Scout rank for mental health project

A Plum Senior High School senior achieved the rank of Eagle Scout for his project highlighting mental health.

Ryan Kmonk wanted to find a way to address mental health among teens to raise awareness. The 18-year-old decided to create a 42-minute documentary, “The Quiet Crisis,” to touch on mental health issues, such as depression.

“I thought it was an issue no one else was addressing so I thought I would take it into my own hands and talk about it,” Kmonk said.

The three-part documentary includes interviews with Plum Senior High School social worker Eliana Jorgensen and guidance counselor Kerry Plesco to provide expert perspectives. The pair would share their own experiences on how they provide mental health services to students, how to look out for signs of depression and ways to treat mental health issues.

Kmonk planned to include students to speak about their experiences of dealing with mental health issues, but he ran into a challenge of finding someone willing to talk on camera about it. He believes a potential reason he could not find students is because mental health is still a hush-hish topic.

“There’s still a stigma among teens with mental health issues. A lot of them might not want to get help or get treated,” he said.

To fill the absence of students’ perspectives, Kmonk himself did a check-in on his mental health. Despite the pivot, he would complete his project in time to receive his Eagle Scout rank in August for his project.

“I hope they watch my interview, the guidance counselor or social worker, and they (teens) can know they are not alone and that there is always help when you look for it,” he said.

His mother, Mandy, said it was gratifying to see her son achieve the rank.

“The steps he has had to overcome in his life has amazed us,” she said. “We are very grateful and proud that he was able to accomplish everything he has been able to accomplish.”

While Kmonk does not have interest in pursuing a career in mental health, he would like to use his hobby in film-making to continue to produce documentaries in his spare time. He is interested in learning more about virtual reality to explore creating software to provide virtual exercising, mediation or therapist services.

“It is a stepping stone so I can go on to the next one, and it helps other people,” he said.