While visiting different schools across our district, we noticed bulletin boards, celebrations, and spirit days for "You Matter Week." Shelby Welsh, a guidance counselor at Lincoln Elementary, shared with us why this is such an important week for her. Here is what she shared:
Advocating for suicide prevention has always been important to me, however, this cause became even more personal to me in October 2021 when my cousin, Dylen, died by suicide. It became incredibly meaningful to me to do more in the fight against suicide and to do something to honor him. While in Corpus Christi getting my Master's degree, my mentor and I brainstormed a way to celebrate suicide prevention week at the elementary level, creating "You Matter Week." This week was designed to promote self-love, compassion, and kindness towards oneself and others, and to hopefully help kids realize they are important, special and loved.
Last year, I introduced the idea of "You Matter Week" to the other school counselors in the district. Most schools tried to do something, whether it was big or small. This year, the elementary counselors came together and decided this was something we wanted to implement on a larger scale district wide. It was amazing to see everyone come together to celebrate something so important and necessary for our students. The purpose of this week was to make every child feel seen, heard, and loved. If even one student has learned that they truly matter, then this week will have been a success.
Thank you for sharing your story with us Shelby, and thank you for all you do for our kids! Also, great job to all the elementary schools for their participation in this great event!