Kiski Area celebrates Friendship Week with focus on mental health

Friendship and mental health matter.

That was the message spread by Kiski Area High School volunteer mentors Thursday at Kiski Area Upper Elementary in Washington Township.

Friendship Week is a five-day themed event held annually in the district.

This year, high school students from the SLAM (Support, Learn, Accept and Mentor one another) Club visited the fifth and sixth graders, promoting messages and encouraging discussions on ending the stigma surrounding mental health.

SLAM’s goal is to let others know they are supported and to encourage acceptance regarding differences mainly around mental health, but also in any capacity, said Olivia Rizzo, a guidance counselor at the upper elementary school who organized the event.

The program kicked off the school day during first period and lasted 45 minutes.

Sixth grader Madison Drum described the event as “needed.”

“Some kids are shy. This promotes friendship and conversation, and Friendship Week themes are fun every day,” Madison said. “It is fun to socialize.”

Sixth grader Logan Smith enjoyed getting to know some of the high school SLAM mentors.

“This is good because we can look up to someone older,” Logan said.

Logan said it’s important to know there is someone on campus who is available if a student is having a mental health issue.

“I feel like I could go to our guidance counselors,” he said.

Kiski Area Upper Elementary sixth-graders l-r Logan Smith and Madison Drum hold a positivity jar Thursday with a message of kindness during Friendship Week @ Kiski Area School District.⁦@Kiski_Area_SD⁩ ⁦@VNDNews⁩ ⁦@TribLIVE⁩ ⁦@Kiski_Area_UE⁩ pic.twitter.com/NpQg0fxBY1

— Joyce Hanz (@hanz_joyce) February 23, 2023

Principal Brian Swartzlander welcomed SLAM mentors for about an hour beginning at 9 a.m. as mentors split up to visit all 24 classrooms.

“We’re very grateful for our high school students and their willingness to make connections with our younger students at such an impressionable time in their lives,” Swartzlander said. “All students in our schools are part of one big Kiski family.”

SLAM member and senior Bryn Hewitt said the day was a great experience.

“Having conversations with the younger students about their lives and answering friendship questions was so fun,” she said. “I connected with them about their worries, and explaining how I handled certain stressful situations was helpful to them. It was also nice to have a day away from my regular schedule.”

Sixth grader Alegra Manifest said her takeaway centered on having an open mind.

“If you accept each other, you can learn to support one another,” Alegra said.

Cole Wolfe, a sixth grader on Student Council, helped to pass out supplies for each student to make their own friendship bracelet.

“If you support and learn about others and their differences, you can accept them for who they are,” Cole said.

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review

Kiski Area sixth grader Cole Wolfe distributes a craft Thursday during Friendship Week.

Sixth grade teacher Jennifer Johns praised the collaborative conversations among the mentors and her students.

“Students need to come to school knowing they have a safe environment to learn and that people care about them. Getting their mental health in check is also a part of their education,” Johns said. “I feel students are more comfortable with expressing their feelings nowadays than before.”

Student Nikella Klingensmith said she learned that supporting someone is the key to developing a stronger bond.

“You will have a better understanding of them and have a better and stronger friendship,” Nikella said.

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review

Kiski Area High School senior Grace Geltz hosts a SLAM (Support, Learn, Accept and Mentor one another) workshop Thursday for sixth graders during Friendship Week.

Activities during the week also included themed-dress days such as PJ day and favorite sports team day, making positivity jars with messages of kindness, making friendship bracelets, participating in icebreaker question sessions.