Letter To The Editor: Dedham High Celebrates Mental Health

The following was submitted as a letter to the editor by the Dedham Organization for Substance Awareness. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, email Samantha.mercado@patch.com

The Dedham Organization for Substance Awareness (DOSA) has partnered with several Dedham High School teachers to create the Working Together to Promote Wellness challenge for high school students. In honor of National Mental Health Awareness Month, high school students can earn community service hours and a gift card by participating in a digital poster creation challenge.

Participating students will create posters with slogans related to the following topics: mental health awareness, wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic, staying connected with others, and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, students will also be able to participate in a free yoga class and take part in a support session with Dedham Youth Commission Social Worker Angela Osei-Mensah. At the end of the project, the posters created by students will be shared with their peers and displayed on the DOSA website.

Cassandra Bigness, the Program Coordinator for DOSA, was inspired to start this project after a successful collaboration with Dedham High School teacher Michael Medeiros on an online substance use prevention project with DHS students in April.

"I decided to start the Working Together to Promote Wellness project because I enjoyed working with Mr. Medeiros last month and wanted to continue engagement with students in Dedham,” she explained. “This is a hard time for students, and many are unable to complete community service hours. By offering them this opportunity, not only are they rewarded with service hours, but they are also staying connected and engaged with other students and staff."

Dedham High School teachers agreed that supporting students during this time was a key reason for the project. “I felt this program was important on two fronts,” said Michael Medeiros, social studies teacher at Dedham High School and advisor to DHS Student Council. “First, it was a great way to spread awareness of mental health within our own local community, and second, because it provided students with a way to still be able to work towards their community service requirement.

As both a resident of the town and teacher here, I have always felt an extra duty to try and make a difference in Dedham, and the best way to do so is through our wonderful youth.”

The project will continue until the end of May and is open to all students attending Dedham High School.

For more information on the Dedham Organization for Substance Awareness, please visit https://dedhamcoalition.org or email Kristina King at kking@dedham-ma.gov.