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State grant allows rural school district to expand mental health resources

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amherst grant

AMHERST, Wis. (WAOW) -- The Tomorrow River School District in Amherst has been on the receiving end of mental health grant money from the The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for the past few years.

Ahead of the 2021-22 school year, the district was again awarded the up to $150,000 per two-year cycle grant. The first round of the grant was for one year, and the second round was for two years. This will be the third round lasting two years of grant money awarded.

Before the grant money, the district was in desperate need to fulfill the areas of mental health services for its students.

"We’re a rural community and we need resources,” Amherst Middle School Counselor Jennifer Berdan said. "We don’t have a mental health therapist in our district, or physically in our communities, so a family would have to come pick up their child and take them to a neighboring town to get mental health therapy.”

The previous money awarded as well as this school year's is already being put into action.

“We’ve partnered with Compass Counseling out of Wausau and they have therapists that are here in our schools with their own office, to be able to see students right here during the school day,” Berdan said.

The money also going toward expanding a variety of other services pertaining to student's well-being, like Hope For Tomorrow.

"When we started the hope for tomorrow program, we had one school based therapist here for a day or day and a half a week," Amherst Elementary School Counselor Kat Cibaric said. "Now we’re up to four therapists and all five days covered.”

Expanding doesn't stop there.

"We have SEL lessons; social-emotional learning lessons that are happening in Kindergarten through 12th grade," Amherst Middle School Principal Ashley Phelan said. "That is building students to be successful adults.”

Now, and SEL specialist is available to all teachers to assist in teaching all students the SEL lessons.

"For example, some of the lessons focus on how do I manage my emotions?," Social & Emotional Integration Specialist Leah Maves said. "Do I even recognize what emotion that is? What do I do then? Also, building confidence and issues with respect. Things like that."

The district is excited to continue expanding and providing services in a rural area to enhance the lives of students and their families in the community.