HRSA grant enhances Kuemper mental health efforts

By DAWN PROSSER
Director of Communications
 
Thanks to a $147,000 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) initiative grant, Carroll Kuemper Elementary School has a dedicated character education classroom for grades K to 3 in the Holy Spirit Center. The grant funds allowed for the renovation of the school’s underutilized stage area into a fully-furnished classroom.
 
“HRSA paid for everything – lights, electrical, new flooring, all the furniture and TVs – all of it,” explained Kathi Milligan, Kuemper preK-6 principal.
 
The principal said the stage was primarily used as a storage space and provided the only potential area that could be utilized for the dedicated classroom for the character education program.
 
“Literally every single ounce of that building is utilized in some way, shape or form,” she said.
 
Deb McCarty, character education instructor, is responsible for visiting each Kindergarten through third grade home room and strives to spend 40 minutes per week with each class. There are four sections of each grade level to visit. Milligan said before the room was renovated, McCarty “had to have everything with her and have it on a cart. Then she traveled from classroom to classroom.”
 
With the number of books, manipulatives and props McCarty uses in character education, toting a cart of objects was cumbersome.
 
After Kuemper staff learned of the potential funding provided by HRSA grants for their character education, they set their sights on applying for funds to create a dedicated classroom for the character education sessions. HRSA funding is focused upon “establishing and expanding sustainable behavioral health care services for children and adolescents from 5 to 17 years and to prevent substance misuse.”
 Calming Corner“We thought this would be a perfect opportunity for this classroom because the grant focuses on the preventatives and sustaining positive mental health instead of the reactive piece of things,” Milligan explained.
 
Renovation of the stage into a classroom was completed in time for the start of the 2024-25 academic year. The room has two exits, soundproofed walls and a new window to allow for natural lighting. The room includes all new furnishings and space for McCarty’s instructional items. Renovation also resulted in a new office for the K-8 guidance counselor, Elissa Sexe.
 
The space is available for the counselor to use when McCarty doesn’t have a class, and the character education materials, puppets and games are available for the counselor to use. The educator said by 10:30 a.m., she is teaching classes in the new room through the end of the school day.
 
During the Kuemper open house and school carnival in late August, McCarty took the opportunity to invite students and their parents to visit the new room. Some were aware of the renovation and were eager to see it.
 
As grants are available for addressing youth mental health concerns, Milligan pointed out that some funding is directed to reactive programs while other grants are geared towards preventative measures, which is Kuemper’s focus with character education.
 
“We had someone come last spring into all our centers and do a session with the kids in K to 3. They talked about if you are feeling stressed and played games teaching them through strategies. This was all funded through the push they’re having in the state for mental health,” the principal said.
 
History of prevention
A preventative mental health focus is nothing new for Kuemper. McCarty recalled the origins of the initiative 12 years ago when she was a third grade classroom educator.

 McCarty with students in her new classroom“We had a volunteer who came in and would help our counselors. She would come into the classrooms and teach little lessons on just character development. When she stopped doing that, our counselor picked that up. She’s counseling 800 students and didn’t have time to go to the classroom, so maybe they got their character education maybe once a quarter,” McCarty said.
 
The Kuemper School Board was approached to consider creating a character education program and the board agreed to offer it on a trial basis.
 
Years later, the K-3 students now have consistent behavior education throughout the school year. McCarty said she started using the Character Strong curriculum two years ago.
 
“That is a program that works on being kind, being well and being strong. Each month there’s a different theme. Right now, the theme is respect and that’s good to start the year with,” the educator said.
 
Character Strong offers games and activities for “building rapport in your classroom,” a growth section and literature for the parent/family newsletter to reinforce the theme at home.
 
“(The teachers) know what the theme is so they can hit it in their classrooms as well,” McCarty said. “Almost every lesson has a brain booster and a mindful moment where they teach calming strategies.”
 
The principal said she often hears the concepts McCarty teaches echoed outside of the classroom, including on the playground.
 
Kuemper is realizing the benefits of many years of preventative character education in the Kuemper classrooms.
 “There will always be some (troublesome) behaviors, but I feel like behavior has improved,” McCarty said. “It gives the teachers a common language to use. They hear what I say in the classroom and then they can reinforce that all the time. So, the kids are constantly being reminded and are reviewing what they’ve learned.”
 
Milligan and McCarty are both pleased with the dedicated classroom and the opportunities it provides for the young Kuemper students.
 
“It’s nice for me to see the resources in (the) room versus on a cart. It’s all there for her to use at her fingertips,” the principal said.
 
“It’s wonderful to have my space where the kids feel welcome and they feel safe,” McCarty concluded.