3/21/14

Wendy Falb
President of the Board of Education, Grand Rapids Public Schools
350 Cherry SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Dear Mrs. President and Board Members;

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sydonie Stock and I am a student
nurse at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. In the course of my studies, I and a
group of my peers have discovered an area of healthcare that is lacking throughout the country.
Assistance for mental health illnesses is virtually nonexistent in schools even though high school
aged adolescents are at a high risk for many mental illnesses including, but not limited to,
depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anorexia nervosa, bulimia, anxiety,
borderline personality disorder, and bipolar disorder.
Susan Schwarz stated in her fact sheet about Adolescent Mental Health in the United
States that this age is a critical period for metal, social, and emotional well-being and
development. Since the adolescent brain is still developing, it is the perfect time to teach
positive mental health, and give the children tools they can use throughout life when coping with
mental health issues. In 2009, Schwarz found that 20% of United States adolescents have a
diagnosable mental health disorder and between 20 and 30% of all adolescents experience at
least one major depressive episode before adulthood. She also stated that 50 to 75% of
children with anxiety and impulse control disorders, like ADHD, develop these issues at a young
age. Suicide alone is a major problem in adolescents; it is the third leading cause of death for 12-
17 year olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The program my peers and I are developing, WeCare, will aim to fill the mental health
gap in high schools around the nation. Every organization must start somewhere, and I would
like the opportunity to address the Grand Rapids Public School Board of Education on this topic.
WeCare would like to interview the high school students attending Title 1 schools in Grand
Rapids. These interviews would assess the students mental health and, if needed, will connect
the students with therapy and treatment. WeCare operates on grant money and donations. A
large part of these funds will go toward assisting the students to obtain the care they need.
In my address to the Board of Education, I will discuss the goals of WeCare, I will
review the highest safety and confidentiality policies we will employ, and I will attempt to
convince you that our services are needed in your community. WeCare is just beginning and is
currently too small to meet the needs of everyone; but I look forward to a future where all
students, no matter what school they attend or where they attend, will have access to the mental
health services they need. With your help, Ms. President and Board Members, WeCare will be
able to do just that.

Sincerely,



Sydonie Stock