Proposal of MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS, ORG.

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS!

Spreading Mindfulness to the students and staff of
Hesperia High School

Submitted to: The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation

Date: Oct. 27th, 2021

Isaac Zapata, Tara Zhan, Minqi Wang, Steven Dai
Special Education Coordinator Hesperia Highschool
9898 Maple Ave,
Hesperia, CA 92345
(760) 244-9898

Cover Letter
Date: Oct. 27th, 2021

Dr. Nicole Warwick

Executive Director
The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation
610 East South Temple Street, Suite 110
Salt Lake City, Utah 84102
(801) 578-1260

RE: MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS! PROPOSAL

Dear Executive Director:

It is a great privilege to introduce the McCarthey Dressman Foundation to our Mental Health
Matters program proposal developed by current staff at the Hesperia Highschool; determined to
serve and work alongside each other to provide a meaningful education to the future generations
of students in Hesperia, California. As the special education coordinators in Hesperia High
School, the four of us have recognized the need for new alternative mental health resources that
focus on principles of practicing mindfulness. Living in a socioeconomically challenged area in a
relatively remote community in desperate need of additional funding for education and social
services, this program is nothing like we have ever seen before in the Hesperia Unified School
District. According to statistics provided by Publicschoolreview.com, Hesperia high school
consists of 1932 students from 9-12 grade, with a students to teachers ratio of 23:1 which is
higher than the California average of 20:1 and national average of 15:1. This data emphasizes the
long standing issue Hesperia high school has struggled with, as we serve a large number of
students yet lack an average number of teachers, and psychological counselors. Our students
should not be put at a disadvantage due to their location or imbalance of student resources such
as the teacher/counselor ratio that is directly contributing to their poor performance in overall
testing throughout California.
Based on this particular situation, at first our group wanted to design some projects that focused
on the lack of STEM programs that could help improve student performance in math and science
proficiency. However, this plan would cost thousands of dollars to buy devices and employ
additional teachers to instruct, so it definitely will surpass the budget set by the McCarthey
Dressman Education Foundation. Later, we discovered that there are only 4 counselors for the
entire school, none of them are psychological counselors. The meaning of school would not be
constrained in the content of academic knowledge, but also is crucial for the backup of students’
further life. We assume that it might be more effective to expend $10,000 on the mental health of
our students and staff to create a more inclusive school environment founded upon practicing
mindfulness.
From our own experience as students, and now teachers, we understand how difficult the
transition from high school to college can be. The stress that comes from school work and
nervous anxiousness of the unknown future can haunt students’ minds, so we found a program
that offered alternative practices towards a proper and healthy way to release negative emotions.
According to their restricted location and psychological problems, we researched a program,
named Mindfulness X, which was designed by Dr. Hugo Alberts. He is an eminent psychologist
and has investigated the positive impact of mindfulness for 12 years. This online program
basically includes all the material needed to instruct the interns and staff on how to practice
mindfulness with students such as a pdf of workbook, eight powerpoint of presentation, a
complete “train a trainer” course and other supplementary materials.
The Mindfulness X program costs $1150 to buy, and selected interns from local colleges such as
Victor Valley College will also receive a cash incentive (ranging from $300-$500 depending on
session) for summer and in-school participation as a workshop instructor, aka “Mindfulness
Leader.” We plan to hold a test pilot of Mental Health Matters Mindfulness Training over the
summer break with voluntary students, and interested staff. Later will begin with two parts of
training. The first part would be Compulsory Hybrid Training of Teachers and Interns, and the
second part would be Compulsory Student Training and Assessments. These two parts of
training would finally accomplish our goal of backing these students with a stable mental state, a
peaceful way to overcome the unknown future. The total cost would be $10,000 each year, and
this project would sustain for 3 years. We will trace the feedback through a weekly journal so
that we can develop with our instructional approach.
Thanks for contemplating our proposal. We’re glad to invite you to accomplish this proposal and
assist students from Hesperia high school together. We will be pleased to answer any questions if
you have.

Thank you,

Isaac Zapata, Tara Zhan, Minqi Wang, Steven Dai

Special Education Coordinators in Hesperia High School
9898 Maple Ave,
Hesperia, CA 92345
(760) 244-9898
Introduction

Recently, The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 300 million people
worldwide suffer from depression which is known as the second biggest killer followed by
cancer. Mental illnesses such as depression are often recognized as the silent killer among
marginalized communities as they are less often to be diagnosed. Our team at MENTAL
HEALTH MATTERS proposes to increase intervention efforts for adolescents and adults within
high school settings by providing a series of mental health awareness workshops that will equip
high school students and staff with scientifically based mindfulness techniques that they will
need to be successful.

Academic researchers have studied the positive role psychological counselors have on high-
school campuses as they provide additional resources to struggling students navigating their
futures. This supplementary knowledge and support is crucial in defining where student life
paths lead to: the military, higher education, or trade school. Therefore, a psychological
counselor is indispensable. Unfortunately, many lower-income areas currently suffer from a
shortage of underfunding which results in cuts of staff, typically resulting in the shortage and
lay-offs of psychological counselors that provide this essential service.

Our staff wants to emphasize on the fact that 86% of students at Hesperia High school are
identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged, on a campus where there are currently ZERO
psychological counselors available on campus. As the demographic of Hesperia High school is
predominantly low-income, Hispanic students, many of our students have never had an
opportunity to evaluate their own mental health. The ultimate goal of this program is to provide
students and staff with the tools they need to create a community fostering mindfulness and
positivity. We hope that by providing a dialogue between both students and staff with semi-
trained professionals, we will overcome the alienation and stigma of mental health to develop a
better understanding of one another.

Awareness of mental health is a crucial aspect in productivity as well as professionalism as these

students are at some of the most consciously developmental times of their lives. From first hand
experience as former students of Hesperia High school, we know many of our peers suffered
from the lack of psychological support as many of us are constantly adjusting to balance personal
and academic lives. As the source of many of these personal issues can often be out of the
student's control, we want to utilize this program’s opportunities to practice mindfulness as a
community and embrace the positive effects of staying aware of our mental well being. Our team
ultimately plans to increase mental health awareness by developing an internship contract with
surrounding community colleges and hiring prospective Psychology Counselors that will act as
instructors (aka “Mindfulness Leaders”) to unite students and staff through our unique and
specialized approach of the Mindfulness ‘X’ program. The customization of program curriculum
is key in garnering genuine relationships with our students and staff which is crucial when we are
breaking barriers not often approached within typical public education. By providing students
and staff with the tools necessary to understand and address their mental health issues, we hope
to reinforce a positive environment that encourages the dialogue of Mental Health Awareness on
a campus where there was once no one to turn to.
Review of Literature

With Hesperia students back in school recently, especially some for the first appreciable time in
many months due to the pandemic, there are some distinct effects of the mental health issues
occurring as well. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of mental health issues — such as
anxiety, depression, suicidality, and substance use — had already been getting worse and were
defined as a significant problem for students. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, overdose deaths increased from about 38,000 to more than 70,000 in the past ten
years. Over the same period, the number of high school students experiencing persistent feelings
of sadness or hopelessness rose by 40%, per the CDC. Meanwhile, serious consideration of
attempting suicide increased by 36%, and attempts increased by 44% for the same age group
(Miller, A & Friedman, J, 2021). Back in the present, COVID-19 has seriously affected students’
normal life and study. For growing teenagers, such dramatic changes can be harmful. Students in
an isolated environment are at greater risk of anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress
disorder during the months of the pandemic. After the resumption of school in September this
year, with another huge change in the order of life, coupled with the characteristics of emotional
impulsiveness of teenagers, the superposition of these factors may exacerbate students'
suicidality, but there are often other triggering factors.

In this situation, as the main living place of students, schools need to protect and care more about
students' mental health. What needs special attention here is that, from the analysis of the
occurrence mechanism and cause of student suicide or serious psychological disorder in recent
years, the proportion of teacher-derived psychological disorder (refers to the psychological
problems and mental diseases of students caused by teachers' improper educational behavior) is
rising rapidly (Miller, A & Friedman, J, 2021). First of all, maintaining students' physical and
mental health is the first responsibility of educators, and students' mental health is closely related
to teachers (Van Droogenbroeck, & Spruyt, B., 2015). Teachers' cognition, behavior,
professional ethics, emotion, and interpersonal relationships will have an impact on student's
mental health development, and even affect students' adult behavior. Secondly, teachers' mental
health awareness also needs to be strengthened and improved. In particular, teachers' mental
health has not been paid enough attention for a long time, a large number of studies have fully
proved that teachers' professional mental health awareness to a large extent restricts teachers'
professional efficacy, and directly affects students' mental health state (Sayko, 2020). For
example, if teachers are confident, good human beings, prepare classes carefully, reflect the
teaching and improve it. These performances will have a subtle influence on students through
teachers' expressions, attitudes, and behaviors, which will affect the formation of students'
outlook on life and values.

The project, Mental Health Matters, offers several activities to practice mindfulness, in order to
treat and improve common mental health problems. According to John Wiley and Sons Ltd’s
research, mindfulness has significant positive effects on common mental health issues, like
stress, depression, anxiety, and negative behaviors. Also, mindfulness can be played in many
simple ways of paying attention to the present moment, via meditation, breathing and yoga
(Dunning, Griffiths, K. ,2019). It is a good tool to manage wellbeing and mental health, and
really benefits students who are adolescents.
Project Description

As we live in a low-income area, many schools in the Hesperia Unified School District lack
additional support in crucial areas of adolescent development such as psychology. Currently,
Hesperia High School has no psychological counselors which is a concerning factor as many of
our students struggle with managing their emotions and juggling their academic as well as
personal lives with the school. Our team at MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS ORG. is a group of
concerned teachers that hope to fill the gap of missing psychological counselors by providing
alternative care to our fellow students and staff. We hope that by reconnecting teachers and
students through scientifically supported, non-traditional methods with their typical compulsory
education, new inspirations, and more inclusive environments will spawn. As teachers ourselves,
we understand the struggle of maintaining a positive relationship with ourselves and our students
and other staff, that is why we have modeled the program into 3 parts. By starting a summer test
pilot program with the teacher and intern volunteers, we will be able to gauge the effectiveness
and overall expected staff cooperation of the program.

● PART 1: Summer Test Pilot Program with Teacher and Intern Volunteers
● PART 2: Compulsory Hybrid Training of Teachers and Interns
● PART 3: Compulsory Student Training and Assessments

We plan to expand upon the Mindfulness program to provide Hesperia High School with
crucial information that is not offered as there are currently no school psychologists, nor
curriculum that offers the skills and awareness Mindfulness X has to offer.

Foundation for our in-school curriculum has divided the Mindfulness X program into two parts,
determined by the semester system of the Hesperia Unified School District. The Mindfulness X
program was developed by Dr. Hugo Alberts, a distinguished psychologist, and researcher who
has studied lab and field studies on the positive effects of mindfulness for 12 years. His expertise
has been sought after by many institutions and so he developed this program to provide his own
methodology and training to practitioners all over the world. Many schools have developed their
own successful programs similar to this one by incorporating the Mindfulness X program. With
the funding of this program, we hope to conduct the summer test pilot, 8 weeks of hybrid
staff/intern training (during staff meetings), and another 8 weeks of the student workshops
(during ‘Homeroom’ elective periods). We plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the program
through the level of engagement by their recorded journal responses and final Mental Health
Awareness projects as well as a written assessment of the course.

Our Plan

- The pilot of this program will be conducted over the summer using teacher volunteers.
Teachers Isaac, Minqi, Steven, and Tara (Board Members of MENTAL HEALTH ORG.)
will review and practice the material and weekly activities along with the teacher
volunteers/interns over the last month of summer (July). Assessment on the success of the
program will be measured by their evaluations and experiences at the end of the program.
 - In the first 8 weeks of the academic year, we focus on the hybrid training of staff and
interns to prepare them to be the trainers of the program. Interns will be selected by the
MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS board members through our partnership, by application,
from local community colleges such as Victor Valley College. Volunteer applications are
scheduled to open at the beginning of summer in June. In order to avoid overwhelming
our staff with new concepts and additional work, short staff training will be implemented
during the first half (30 minutes) of our weekly staff meetings held on Wednesday
mornings before school, additional training will also be offered after school (by
appointment) for staff and interns that aren’t able to attend at that time.

- We find it crucial for fellow teachers to learn about and practice Mindfulness as we are
often the role models for our students that are just as easily overwhelmed with the school
as they are. These workshops will also provide teachers with time to get to know their
students better as well as form a bond between other students and staff. If for whatever
reason a teacher or student does not want to/can’t comply with this program, our team
will take it upon ourselves to substitute for the teacher to provide students with the
workshop modeled by the Mindfulness X program, as we believe all students should get
the opportunity to learn about the positive role of practicing Mindfulness. Teachers are
expected to benefit from this program as much as the students as Mindfulness is a tool
that can be utilized in any situation, regardless of their race, class, or gender.

- In the second semester, our freshly trained staff and interns (AKA Mindfulness Leaders)
will utilize their knowledge on the ‘8 pillars of Mindfulness’ and their understanding of
Positive Psychology to lead students through scheduled weekly workshops and exercises
to become more aware and practice new skills for a better Mental Health. Student
workshops are scheduled to be weekly, during school, on Wednesdays in the first 30
minutes of their ‘Home room’ elective period. The final 10 minutes of class will be used
for journal responses as well as time to answer questions or concerns and make further
connections with the material.

*Specific Details on the training and scheduled weekly activities are provided in the charts
below.*

How we plan to use the Mindfulness X program

Using the workbook provided through Mindfulness X as well as the guided group exercises,
students will get the opportunity to learn and practice these new mindfulness skills with their
peers and teachers. We also want to provide “Mindfulness” journals for each student so they look
back at all their thoughts, emotions, and feelings that they experienced after each exercise. This
program is open to all students and staff that want to make a better future for themselves by
providing them with the tools of Mindfulness to understand and handle their emotions in a
healthy manner.

As mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety often harm people of color the most (as there
are not as many resources as wealthier affluent areas), this program will offer unforgettable
lessons to our fellow students and staff of Hesperia High School that would have never reached
us before. Our goal at MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS ORG. is to open the minds of our
community that once raised one of our team members, and provide them with a new attitude
towards the mental health of the individual, as well as the community. We hope to inspire each
other that Mindfulness Matters, and that together we can overcome any obstacle- even when it
may not be visible.

Sample Weekly Activities (Part One)

(Semester 1) Hybrid Staff & Materials needed Workshop Lesson Goal/ Credible
Internship Training Support Source

Week 1: Introduce the Review instruction manual of Acknowledge staff and interns the
program to staff and interns the Mindfulness X content of the project and their roles
in the project

Week 2: Watch the video A PDF workbook for Your Recognize what they will teach
course ‘8 pillars of Participants
Mindfulness’ and read the ‘8 Pillars of Mindfulness’
pdf-workbook Video Course

Week 3: Continue reading Four PowerPoint Presentations/ Train staff and interns how to teach
the workbook and learning Practice Activities (Week 1-4) the course
from course materials

Week 4: Staff and interns Four PowerPoint Retrospect their strengths and
share what they have learned; Presentations/ Practice obstacles and attempt to design
Q&A with each other Activities (Week 5-8) their own instructions

Week 5: Formally train staff ‘Train the Trainer’ Course Develop their teaching skills
and interns how to become
psychological trainers

Week 6: Guide staff and Expert Guided Meditations Experience the benefits of
interns practice meditation in .MP4 meditation

Week 7: Individual study and All materials Summary of what they learn and
preparation for the following enhance their teaching techniques
simulation teaching

Week 8: Simulation teaching All materials Staff and interns simulate teach
each other to practice their learning
Sample Weekly Activities (Part Two)

(Semester 2) Student Materials needed Workshop Goal/ Credible

Training Support Source

Week 1: Body Scan/ Drinks/Snacks Body awareness/ staying in the

Journaling 101/ Syllabus Journals present moment.
Review (Roman, 2015)

Week 2: Heartbeat Exercise/ Snacks Foundation to many mindfulness

Mindful Breathing/ Mindful Candles, Flowers, Soaps exercises/ visualizing mindfulness
Smelling 😊 🌺 Breath Meditation for Kids through sense
😊 ❤️‍Mindfulness for Kids

Week 3: Thought Clouds/ Drinks/Snacks State of awareness/ Grounding in

Grounding/ Mindfulness the present
Walk “Safari” Activity

Week 4: Guided Meditation/ Drinks/Snacks Practice Stress and anxiety-

Stress Talk/Yell by small Guided meditation for students reducing exercises
groups (outdoor)

Week 5: Mindful(Body)- Drinks/Snacks Impact of Body Chemistry/ Finding

Connection/ Mindful Snack confidence

Week 6: The Mindful Jar/ Small mason jars Visualizing overwhelming

Still Quiet Place Exercise Glitter Glue/Dry Glitter emotions/ Finding calmness
Mindfulness Exercises for Kids:
Still Quiet Place (GoZen!)

Week 7: Staff and Student Helpful Mindful Apps List Student Evaluation of program/
Experiences/ Mental Health Student Eval Sheet What would they like to know/
Awareness project Drinks/Snacks Sharing what they learned

Week 8: Project Presentation/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/pro Students get into groups and take a
The Mindful Games duct/1611804094/ref=as_li_tl? shot at practicing mindfulness/
Mindful Yoga at the end ie=UTF8&tag=innerkids09- developing their own exercises
20&camp=1789&creative=9325 together without staff/intern
&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN= guidance (self regulation)
1611804094&linkId=79ff68a11 Learning mindful yoga to reduce
7aefd63abcf7c0718baea80 stress, the yoga app can be found in
App: Wakeout! (Free for the App Store.
downloading)

Assessment Plan
❖ Our project aims to provide mental health assistance to Hesperia High school students
and staff through Mindfulness training workshops as there are currently no psychological
counselors in the school now. To evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness, Program
Participation and Engagement will be measured by student and staff ability to describe
what they learned about Mindfulness/Mental Health Awareness. Journal Responses
(received by student/staff consent) and the Written Assessments will be used to develop a
credible assessment plan to reevaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the program.

The indicators of effectiveness:

➢ Number of students involved: whole Hesperia High school students (1,923

students in total).
➢ Number of staff involved: All staff (92 teachers in total) are suggested to be
trained in the program. If some staff do not want to participate, Board Members of
MENTAL HEALTH ORG. can take their place.
➢ Limit of Intern Applications: Local college students who are majoring in
psychology or will be engaged in psychological work.
➢ New skills participants will be shared: teacher volunteers and interns will get to
practice Mindfulness as well as become more aware of the students and staffs’
mental health. Interns will get a meaningful internship opportunity not offered
anywhere else in the High Desert, developing a closer relationship to the
community they may potentially work at in their future. This is also a rewarding
hands-on experience for them to learn about the benefits of Positive Psychology.
➢ Benefit to students: students acquire a better understanding of what Mental Health
is as well as learn the role of Mindfulness practices to combat overwhelming
emotions such as anxiety and depression.
➢ Benefit to the community: A healthier generation of students can contribute more
to their school, families, and local communities, anticipating economic
development and social stability.
➢ Program Participation and Engagement will be measured by student and staff
ability to describe what they learned about Mindfulness/Mental Health
Awareness. Journal Responses (received by student/staff consent) and the Written
Assessments will be used to develop a credible assessment plan to reevaluate the
strengths and weaknesses of the program.
 Written Assessment Example:

1. In your own words, what does it mean to be mindful? Give an example and quick
description of how it can be used to help.

2. Draw what it feels like to be overwhelmed, how can you practice mindfulness to calm
down?

3. What was your favorite workshop/activity you have done this semester? Did anyone help
you (Mindfulness Leader, classmate) learn something new from it? Why was it your
favorite?

4. Talking about mental health can be awkward and even scary sometimes, how does
talking about these issues with your class make you feel?

5. Write about something you never knew about yourself and mental health. What does that
information mean to you?

6. Have you ever heard of Mindfulness or Mental health before this program? Did the
program teach you anything new about it?

7. In your own opinion, how can this program be improved? Were there any activities you
found unchallenging or too uncomfortable for you to do?
Budget

Money used for Expenses related to When will the Amount of money
program money be spent

Mindfulness X The materials July $1,150

Program mindfulness leaders (the test pilot (one time fee)
will teach the students program starts)

Summer intern Cash incentive for July $1,200

stipends Training “Mindfulness (the test pilot ($300 for each
Leaders” who will program starts) intern, 1-4 interns)
guide student/staff
workshops

During-school intern Cash incentive for August $3,000

stipend Training “Mindfulness (the program starts) ($500 for each
Leaders” who will intern, at least 6
guide student/staff interns)
workshops

Workshop Provide better Bi-weekly starting in $2,000

Concessions curriculum August and ending
(snacks, drinks) environment to students in September

Workshop Supplies Journal notebooks, July & August $2,000

mason jars, bubbles,
glitter/glitter glue

Unexpected costs Other expenditures not During the $650

counted summer/in school
program
Reference

Dunning, Griffiths, K., Kuyken, W., Crane, C., Foulkes, L., Parker, J., & Dalgleish, T. (2019).
Research Review: The effects of mindfulness‐based interventions on cognition and mental health
in children and adolescents – a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Child
Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(3), 244–258. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12980

Miller, A & Friedman, J, 2021. Here's what a return to school means for student mental health
and what to do to help. https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/story/news/2021/10/28/student-
mental-health-all-time-low-heres-how-you-can-help/8459367002/

Sayko. (2020). Psychological characteristics of emotional intelligence of teachers working with

children of developmental disorders. Journal of Education, Culture and Society, 4(2), 29–35.
https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs20132.29.35

Van Droogenbroeck, & Spruyt, B. (2015). Do teachers have worse mental health? Review of the
existing comparative research and results from the Belgian Health Interview Survey. Teaching
and Teacher Education, 51, 88–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.06.006

https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-for-children-kids-activities/

https://www.heysigmund.com/mindfulness-for-children-fun-effective-ways-to-strengthen-mind-
body-spirit/