WAKEFIELD — Executive Director Margie Daniels is pleased to share that the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth sponsored a hybrid conference on building systems to support student wellbeing.
On Wednesday, May 31, MPY sponsored a conference titled “School Mental Health Leadership: Building Systems to Support Student Wellbeing.” The conference was held at Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School in Danvers.
This conference showcased the School Mental Health Leadership Institute (SMHLI), a joint effort of the Massachusetts School Mental Health Consortium, the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, and Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth. This is the second year of the School Mental Health Leadership Institute, which prepares leaders to drive change within their school or district and build capacity to serve students with a variety of mental and behavioral health needs.
Practitioners who have participated in the SMHLI shared key lessons learned through participating in this initiative.
The conference featured speakers Rachelle Engler Bennett, Associate Commissioner, Student and Family Support, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Jake Cavanaugh, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The NAN Project; Stacy Cabral, Safe & Supportive Schools and Rethinking Discipline Program Specialist, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Laura Cinelli, Deputy Director, Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy; John Crocker, Director of School Mental Health & Behavioral Services, Methuen Public Schools, Founder and Director, Massachusetts School Mental Health Consortium; and Margie Daniels, M.Ed., L.I.C.S.W., Executive Director, Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth.
The conference also dug deeper into how school mental health leaders build capacity to provide mental and behavioral supports for students, and included a discussion on new state mental health legislation and its implications for schools and districts across Massachusetts.
The conference brought the voices of four Essex Tech students to help attendees to better understand stundets’ perspectives on mental health challenges and the role of schools in effectively providing resources.
During the conference, Rachelle Engler Bennett received the “Excellence for Children and Families Award” from MPY.The award was presented by MPY Board Chair Dr. Judith Klimkiewicz. Bennett is the Associate Commissioner of Student & Family Support at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. She also heads up and leads the Safe and Supportive Schools Commission and was one of the conference speakers.
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high-quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission. To learn more, visit: https://massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com/.
