Once again, a project based learning assignment in 11th grade English at Indian Lake High School has resulted in a positive impact for students.
Each year, Mrs. Elizabeth DeLeeuw challenges her students to, in some way, help their community with a Project Based Learning presentation called “A Pebble Into a Pond.”
Mrs. DeLeeuw says, “PBL helps motivate students to gain knowledge and remember it longer. Projects give students the chance to apply the skills they learn in school to personally relevant and real-world situations.”
Last spring, then-juniors Sarah Mohler, Aurora Skryabina Goslee, Morgan Hill Slaven, Gabe Stidam and Kaylynn Reesor were grouped together for the project. They collectively decided they wanted to somehow tackle mental health for teenagers.
Goslee explained, “I think kids don’t realize that they don’t have to live like that if they’re having problems.”
With limited time and budget, the group decided to compile a list of local mental health resources. They contacted District Technology Coordinator Ron Borgerding and Public Relations Specialist Jamie Ross about adding a Mental Health Resources page to the Indian Lake School website and school app.
“The staff was very supportive of our idea and got right to work,” said Morgan Hill Slaven.
Their list of local agencies and resources concerning mental health is now available in one comprehensive area on the school’s website under the Students tab on the main page. The same information is available under the Student Health icon in the Indian Lake School app.
The list includes the free 24/7 hotline 988 to answer and assist those in a mental health crisis, the 211 hotline that connects users to various local health and government resources, the local domestic violence shelter and the local facility for drug abuse recovery.
Now a senior at ILHS, Mohler is proud of the project’s outcome. “I think pushing 211 and 988 is really good because it helps connect kids to stuff they desperately need.”
In 2025, one of the Project-Based Learning presentations focused on variety in the school cafeteria and, after much research, several different meals were added to the menu.