RKYHS hosted Marc Fein last week. He shared his own experiences with depression and tried to raise teen awareness about mental health. Putting a voice to a silent issue, Fein taught the students that the most powerful words are often “How are you” and “I need help.” It was an especially powerful moment when a quarter of the room stood up to symbolize the 25 percent of teens who struggle with a mental health issue. The speech gave students an awareness of this issue, a language to use to ask for help and guidelines on how to support friends who might be struggling. The Kushner JUMP team then initiated a project where students filled out a footprint pre-printed with phrases like “I will help my friend by…” or “I will take better care of myself by….” The footprints will be put together to make a mural of support for this important cause. RKYHS seeks to stamp out the stigma.