TOMAHAWK – Earlier this month, a School District of Tomahawk student club hosted an event aimed at spreading mental health awareness.
The district’s Raise Your Voice Club held its Color Run on Saturday, May 2, with students, staff and members of the community taking part.
Tomahawk Middle School Counselor and Raise Your Voice Club Advisor Cassandra Cerny said the club was originally brought to Tomahawk under the supervision of former Director of Pupil Services Wendy Simonis.
Cerny said the club was founded for students in grades 6 through 12 and seeks to “build belonging and community across our district as we (help) break down the stigma surrounding mental health.”
“The club is student-driven, meaning that they decide on the projects they feel passionate about to help spread mental health awareness,” Cerny explained.
More than 50 students joined the club at the outset, and the club has since taken part in a variety of activities, including Meet and Greet Mondays, where club members greet Tomahawk Elementary School students once a month; Tabling, which involves sharing facts about mental health struggles during lunches; Toilet Talks, which sees topics surrounding mental health posted in school bathrooms on a monthly basis; Green Bandana Training, a way to teach club members and others, including school staff, about mental health awareness and how to seek help when needed; various leadership summits throughout the year that culminate at the Youth Advocacy Day in Madison, where club members have the opportunity to speak to legislators about mental health support in schools; and the most recent event: the Color Run.
The Color Run was originally a joint effort between the club and the Student Council, Cerny explained, but it was later split into two separate runs so the community could be invited to the Raise Your Voice Club’s event.
This year, the Color Run, organized by Cerny, fellow advisor Taylor Hudzinski-Pike and student volunteers, saw families from the Tomahawk community join the club’s efforts in spreading mental health awareness.
Looking ahead, Cerny said the club hopes to “continue growing the run to bring in more awareness and family fun within our great community.”
The club is supported by National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) Northwoods and Aspirus, as well as the district.
To learn more about the Raise Your Voice Club, contact Cassandra Cerny at cernyc@myhatchets.org; or Taylor Hudzinski-Pike at hudzinskipiket@myhatchets.org.
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