CVUSD is putting mental health first with its Wellness Centers

Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) is continuing its focus on the mental health of its students by bringing back the Wellness Centers for another school year.

The Wellness Center is described to be the chicken soup and Vicks vapor rub for students for when they are sick according to Janelle McDaniel, the Wellness Center Intervention teacher at Desert Mirage High School (DMHS). "We’re here to just get them comfortable, calm them down, connect with them, see what they really need," she explained.

There is a center at each high school and middle school in the district. It's considered a safe place where students are able to work through their emotions when it comes to academic concerns, family/relationship issues, or anxiety.

They are open during school hours and students are able to drop in at any time to get the necessary tools and assistance to navigate the stressors of high school.

During the 2022-2023 school year, McDaniels said over 300 students utilized the Wellness Center at DMHS. She also said that teachers have told her the difference they notice in some of the struggling students who have utilized the center.

McDaniels uses a variety of tools to help the students from group discussions to activities to get to the root of a problem and help solve it.

The school district is proud of the impact the Wellness Centers have on its students and is looking to bring wellness center carts to elementary schools eventually.