School News
November 29,2017
A monthly newsletter covering area schools
South Lane Mental Health lends a hand Football tries for the
in local schools
state championship
Schools around the district benefi t from mental health services
provided by the non-
S
outh Lane Mental Health is beginning it’s fi fth year of
helping students in South Lane School District. The
non-profi t mental health organization has counselors in all of
the school district schools, where they are providing direct
support to students on an ongoing basis.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health 1 in
5 children ages 13-18, have or will have a serious mental
health illness. South Lane Mental Health is setup to help
kids of all ages. “Young people spend a large part of their
days in school, this is an obvious place to provide services to
them.” explains Valeria Clarke, Assistant Executive Director
of South Lane Mental Health. .
South Lane Mental Health offers a variety of options to help
kids. Clarke describes, “Services in the schools include one
on one therapy, group therapy, behavior support/skills train-
ing, and even substance use treatment. We tailor our services
to the needs of those who use them, providing individualized
service is a hallmark of our work.” Clarke also notes ser-
vices are improved through collaboration within the schools
because “therapists also consult with teachers and other staff
to assist them in understanding why students respond the
way they do in their school environment.”
The education setting has become more and more about
helping kids in every facet of their lives, not just academics.
Whether that is helping with student health needs, providing
dental services, mental health support, or with living situa-
tions, a lot of work is happening to help students be success-
ful in school and life.
South Lane Mental Health was started in 1988 by a local
group of concerned citizens hoping to respond to the com-
munity’s growing mental health issues. It currently serves
approximately 1,500 people per year offering counseling for
a host of mental health related circumstances.
“We are putting in 99 hours per week in the school’s,”
Clarke told the school board earlier this year. “I was sur-
prised too when I did the math but we are there 99 hours a
week on average.”
Counselors staff the high school, middle school and ele-
mentary schools throughout South Lane School District and
have seen the fruits of their labor.
“I’m going to tell a story,” Clarke told the board at the
time. “We got a call from the principal at the high school.”
Through staff and students, the high school administration
had become aware of a student’s plan to harm themselves.
Through counseling from South Lane Mental Health staff
on the premises and follow-up aid, they were able to fi nd a
solution. “He’s changed his plan,” Clarke said. “Having the
resource on campus really is making a difference.”
According to the American Psychological Association,
one-third of college students in the U.S. have had trouble
focusing over the last 12 months due to depression and
anxiety. Of those who seek mental health help, 30 percent
have seriously considered suicide. South Lane Mental
Health reaches these students before they get to college but
youth.gov--a cohort of more than 20 federal agencies-notes
children ages 6 through 17 also have staggering percentages
of mental health needs. According to the data, 21 percent of
low-income students between 6 and 17 years of age may be
dealing with a mental health issue. Seventeen percent have
experienced a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder that
requires outside help and counseling. Children in the foster
care system and juvenile justice system were more likely to
experience a mental health episode and require the help of a
mental health professional.
The Lions have had an undefeated season
and on Saturday, Nov. 25, they tried to
win it all and beat Mashfi eld for the state
championship. Did they get there? See B1.
Contact SLMH: If your question or concern needs immediate
attention, please call SLMH at 541-942-3939. Otherwise,
For questions about client services or mental health issues, contact
help@slmh.org
For questions about billing, payroll, insurance, and job openings,
contact businessadmin@slmh.org
For media or donor questions, or for general information about
South Lane Mental Health, contact info@slmh.org
If you have a mental health emergency and live in Oregon’s South
Lane County, please call 911.
Above information provided by "What's right in South Lane."
Kennedy profi led by The Sentinel
The series will follow the happenings at Kennedy through graduation
The fi rst edition of "Bad Kids" hit stands this month. The seven-part series is the result of
Sentinel staff partnering with students and faculty at Kennedy High School to tell the story
of kids who are anything but "bad." Sentinel staff spends at least an hour a week observing
classes and speaking with the tribe at Kennedy to understand the challenges it faces but also,
the success it has and to untangle the preconceived notions a community may have about
an alternative school. The name, "Bad Kids" came organically as a way to combat those
stereotypes and reclaim the title. Because the students at Kennedy know what you call them-
-the bad kids--but their progress and passion at Kennedy is indicative of students whose
circumstances landed them in situations beyond their control or those who cannot fi nd a
proper learning environment to suit their needs at Cottage Grove High School.
Read a piece of the series below (available in its entirety at cgsentinel.com) and look for the
next installment in the series on December 13.
H
alie Ketcher has moved 11 times in her life
but she’s never had a move as diffi cult as the
last one. Two days after being appointed prin-
cipal of Al Kennedy High School, she oversaw
the move of 94 students (and everything that
came with them) four miles north of Cottage
Grove to their new home in Saginaw; a space
called Delight Valley that they would share with
a pre-school and where they would contend with
a shrinking move-in budget while new projects
around the school district saw millions in bond
money. It was a lot of baggage.
“There was some concern in the community,”
former Kennedy principal Mike Ingman said.
He began the move as principal at the end of the
2016-2017 school year before a domino effect
started by the resignation of Cottage Grove
High School principal Iton Unosenata would see
Ingman take the top spot at the traditional high
school and Ketcher, behind the big desk at Ken-
nedy. The move to Delight Valley, Ingman said,
meant a longer trek for students in rural Oregon
where a car ride is not always guaranteed and the
suggestion of moving the community’s alterna-
tive high school was labeled a bad idea.
Bad. Because in Cottage Grove—where the me-
dian yearly income is $37,058 and 22.5 percent
of residents live in poverty-- the perception is
that the alternative school is for the students who
can’t be good, a common notion in a national ed-
ucation system that ranks students by tests scores
and pays schools a dollar amount per head. In
Cottage Grove, it’s $143 per student, per day.
The start
There are 81 alternative high schools in the state
of Oregon.
See Kennedy C2
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