EMPOWERING
HEALTHIER FREQUENCIES

Project AWARE Indiana is committed to Changing the Frequency surrounding mental health awareness and education by prioritizing mental wellness and providing tools to support collective growth and change. Demonstration sites were developed in three socioeconomically diverse communities in the Fall of 2018 (Cohort 1) and expanded to include eight additional partnership districts (Cohort 2) in 2021. Three more school districts were added in early 2022, with the launch of Project AWARE II. All Project AWARE sites are working to create sustainable school-based mental health systems and supports for future statewide implementation.

Project Aware II

ELKHART COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

GARRETT-KEYSER-BUTLER COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

MATCHBOOK LEARNING AT WENDELL PHILLIPS

Katrina Barhydt

Katrina Barhydt is working alongside Elkhart’s Project AWARE team to provide quality professional development to staff regarding student mental wellness, provide opportunities for student engagement, and create robust partnerships between the district and community providers.

Elkhart Community School Partners

Renee Hood

Renee Hood is facilitating Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community School’s Project Aware grant to promote mental health wellness, advocacy, and support to students, staff and parents. Renee collaborates with the school and community with focus on suicide prevention, improved attendance and screening/supports on mental health.

Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community School Partners

Lisa Bellamy

Lisa Bellamy is helping to reinforce multi-tiered systems of support within Matchbook Learning at Wendell Phillips, train school leaders in suicide prevention and mental wellness practices, and engage students in learning about wellness and mental health.

Matchbook Learning at Wendell Phillips School 63 Partners

Project Aware I COHORT 1

KRISTA FAY

Krista Fay, Project AWARE Coordinator in Avon, along with the newly expanded Mental Wellness Team made up of school social workers focused on mental wellness (awareness, education, and intervention), us on the Whole Child by creating an SEL/mental wellness continuum in all schools. Read more.

The Mental Wellness Team in Avon continues to support universal SEL with teachers and school counselors, small group interventions, and individual interventions with school social workers and school-based community mental health workers. Krista is a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid trainer and works in collaboration with school resource officers to ensure a holistic crisis response.

AVON COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

KELLY CASH

Kelly Cash, Perry Central’s Project AWARE Coordinator, helps educators in the district attend robust professional development opportunities to support their social and emotional learning and other tiered mental health supports and interventions. Read more.

Perry’s mental health team, made up of social workers and counselors, provides supports for referred students. Using Panorama as a universal screener, the district’s MTSS team has done extensive planning and data analysis in order to increase referrals and wrap-around services for students and families. Included on this team is the School Resources Officer whose intentional focus on relationships with students has helped create alignment between the district’s school safety and mental health supports.

PERRY CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

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DR. MEGAN KIRK

Dr. Megan Kirk leads Vigo County School Corporation to alignment with mental health services and increased SEL practices as Project AWARE Coordinator. Read more

Vigo’s focus over the past few years has been on implementing restorative practices, creating a staff mental health and wellness course, expanding Handle With Care infrastructure, developing a clear and reliable crisis referral process, and engaging many community mental health and medical providers to increase and improve services for youth in the district. Vigo continues to offer Youth Mental Health First Aid trainings to faculty and staff—enabling them to better assist students that may be experiencing a mental health crisis.

VIGO COUNTY COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

KRISTA FAY

To enable success for the school year, Avon Community Schools welcomed Krista Fay as Project AWARE Coordinator along with four additional social workers who serve the entire student body. Read more >>

This newfound support has allowed Avon to establish a district Mental Wellness Team, who collaboratively developed a programmatic structure aligned with the district’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) activities. Krista continues to ensure cohesion and smooth transition between Avon Community School Corporation and community mental health provider, Cummins.

AVON COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

KELLY CASH

Kelly Cash, Perry Central’s Project AWARE Coordinator, prepared educators with robust professional development opportunities during the summer of 2019 to allow for a successful launch of Project AWARE activities during the school year. Read more >>

During this time, they developed a unique SEL curriculum for grades K-12 using IDOE’s competencies and lesson plans. Additionally, two of the district’s mental health leaders attended a seven-day Conscious Discipline training and shared their learnings with all teachers at their Back to School Retreat. This helped create a shared vision and language for positive discipline and behavior supports. Perry’s efforts are strengthened by social workers and counselors who provide tier-two supports.

PERRY CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

DR. MEGAN KIRK

Dr. Megan Kirk leads Vigo County Community Schools to alignment with mental health services and increased SEL practices as Project AWARE Coordinator. Read more >>

Vigo has strengthened their partnership with community health provider to provide Youth Mental First Aid trainings for educators, mental health workers, and additional school staff. In 2019, 209 Vigo participants took part in this training to decrease stigma associated with mental health problems and increase knowledge of early warning signs of mental illness. Vigo continues to offer Youth Mental Health First Aid trainings to faculty and staff—enabling them to better assist students that may be experiencing a mental health crisis.

VIGO COUNTY COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

Project Aware I COHORT 2

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN SCHOOLS

WESTFIELD WASHINGTON SCHOOLS

EVANSVILLE VANDERBURGH SCHOOL CORPORATION

MSD OF WAYNE TOWNSHIP

SOUTH BEND COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION

SOUTHEAST NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE

SHERIDAN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

MILAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION

Interested in connecting with a Project AWARE representative at the state level?

LEARN MORE

STUDENT WELLNESS PRACTICES & SUPPORTS DATABASE

Made in partnership with Project AWARE, the Indiana Department of Education, and the Indiana University School of Social Work—the Student Wellness Practices and Supports database serves the public in the identification and promotion of practices, programs, and implementation strategies that each Indiana public school district employs to advance student wellness.

ACCESS HERE

Interested in connecting with a Project AWARE representative at the state level?

LEARN MORE

STUDENT WELLNESS PRACTICES & SUPPORTS DATABASE

Made in partnership with Project AWARE, the Indiana Department of Education, and the Indiana University School of Social Work—the Student Wellness Practices and Supports database serves the public in the identification and promotion of practices, programs, and implementation strategies that each Indiana public school district employs to advance student wellness.

ACCESS HERE

For more resources to help boost your mental wellbeing, follow these steps to access our Resource Portal!

ACCESS HERE

Ready to Change the Frequency?
Need more information?

CONTACT US!

info@ProjectAwareIN.org
317.234.6849

All activities and resources shown on this website are a result of the FY 2018 and FY 2021 Project AWARE –SEA grant awarded to the Indiana Department of Education by the Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), FOA, No. SM-18-006, CFDA No. 93.243.

ACCESSIBILITY

EMPOWERING HEALTHIER FREQUENCIES

Project Aware II

Katrina Barhydt

Elkhart Community School Partners

Renee Hood

Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community School Partners

Lisa Bellamy

Matchbook Learning at Wendell Phillips School 63 Partners

Project Aware I COHORT 1

KRISTA FAY

AVON COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

KELLY CASH

PERRY CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

DR. MEGAN KIRK

VIGO COUNTY COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

KRISTA FAY

AVON COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

KELLY CASH

PERRY CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

DR. MEGAN KIRK

VIGO COUNTY COMMUNITY SCHOOL PARTNERS

Project Aware I COHORT 2

STUDENT WELLNESS PRACTICES & SUPPORTS DATABASE

STUDENT WELLNESS PRACTICES & SUPPORTS DATABASE

For more resources to help boost your mental wellbeing, follow these steps to access our Resource Portal!

Ready to Change the Frequency? Need more information?

CONTACT US!

info@ProjectAwareIN.org 317.234.6849

EMPOWERING
HEALTHIER FREQUENCIES

Ready to Change the Frequency?
Need more information?

info@ProjectAwareIN.org
317.234.6849