​May is Mental Health Awareness Month

What is mental health?
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
On May 25th, Eckstein Middle School PTSA will be hosting a Mental Health Awareness Night. We plan on many activities, the first promoting mental health through art.  We’d love to hear from students about the role that art and self-expression can play in supporting mental health.  
Share your creativity and submit a drawing, painting, or collage. You can create a visual  piece that is personal to you or something that reflects on issues you feel are impacting your family  and friends, community, or society at large.  
We hope we can learn from, support, surprise and maybe inspire each other.  
Topics could include:  
· How making art helps you process your emotions  
· How family, friends, pets, nature, and other activities support your mental health  · How you feel about stress from academic or athletic pressures  
· How being accepted or not accepted impacts mental health  
· How you think social media is playing a role in the mental health of students  · How current events are affecting your emotions  
· How you felt during the Covid lockdown and year of online schooling  
You are welcome to sign your art pieces or leave them unsigned – either way, please make sure  you put your name and homeroom on the back of your art. You can include a title and an artist’s  statement if you want to provide some context, but that is not required. Do not include any profanity,  violent imagery or images of weapons.  
Please submit artwork to the front office by Friday, May 19th. Please contact Eckstein parent  Deirdre Gregg at deirdregregg@yahoo.com or 206-356-5640 with any questions.