
Gabrielle
Carter,
a
2021
graduate
of
Osbourn
Park
High
School
who
also
attended
the
Governor's
School
@
Innovation
Park
(GS
@
IP),
participated
as
one
of
five
students
on
a
national
student
panel
about
student
mental
health
and
wellness
in
schools.
The
panel
discussion
took
place
virtually
at
the
2021
Student
Mental
Health
Summit
held
this
spring
by
the
National
Consortium
of
Secondary
STEM
Schools
(NCSSS).
The
summit
presented
the
latest
research
performed
at
NCSSS
member
schools
and
included
a
student
panel
discussion
about
the
successes
and
barriers
to
student
mental
wellness
in
schools.
The
Governor's
School
@
Innovation
Park
is
a
NCSSS
member
school
and
Dr.
Jason
Calhoun,
the
school's
director,
serves
on
the
NCSSS
board
of
directors.
"The
challenges
faced
this
year
in
education
were
unlike
any
we've
seen
in
a
very
long
time,"
said
Calhoun.
"At
the
NCSSS
student
panel
about
student
mental
health,
Gabrielle
was
able
to
speak
thoughtfully
and
truthfully
from
a
student's
perspective
on
their
tangible
struggles
during
this
pandemic.
We
know
how
challenging
this
year
has
been,
and
hearing
the
panel
speak
reinforced
how
critical
it
is
that
we
identify
methods
to
support
our
students'
and
educators'
well-being."
In
sharing
details
about
her
experience
on
the
panel,
Gabrielle
said
she
received
valuable
insights
from
other
panelists.
The
peers
shared
ideas
from
their
schools
about
ways
to
support
student
mental
health
that
she
hopes
can
be
considered
at
GS
@
IP
and
in
PWCS.
"I
was
honored
that
Dr.
Calhoun
and
the
other
Governor's
School
staff
thought
me
to
be
a
good
representative
for
the
event,
and
I
happily
obliged,"
said
Gabrielle.
"I'm
extremely
glad
I
did,
because
even
just
at
the
rehearsal
Zoom,
my
fellow
panelists
and
I
had
some
extremely
important
conversations
about
student
mental
health.
We
shared
our
thoughts
on
mental
health
struggles
during
online
learning,
the
normalization
of
stress
in
today's
students,
peer-to-peer
connections
being
a
vital
part
of
student
mental
health,
and
how
school
administration
can
sometimes
inadvertently
create
a
barrier
for
students
seeking
support."
Gabrielle
graduated
with
an
advanced
diploma
and
three
academic
letters.
Under
Dr.
Elizabeth
Romano,
biology
professor
at
GS
@
IP,
she
has
conducted
scientific
research
exploring
the
carcinogenic
properties
of
a
chemical
compound
on
an
organism
and
has
assessed
golf
course
restoration
as
a
method
of
combating
deforestation
and
habitat
loss.
Additional
contributions
Gabrielle
carried
out
this
year
include
volunteering
at
the
Manassas
National
Battlefield
Park,
working
under
the
park
biologist,
assisting
with
invasive
plant
surveys
and
their
removal,
performing
park
maintenance,
and
geographic
information
system
(GIS)
mapping,
and
other
volunteer
work.
She
will
attend
University
of
California,
Berkeley
in
the
fall.
The
NCSSS
organization
works
to
advance
STEM
education
by
providing
professional
development
and
networking
opportunities
for
educators
and
learning
experiences
for
students;
to
serve
as
a
national
resource
for
STEM
schools
and
programs
in
partnership
with
educational,
corporate,
and
international
organizations;
and
to
inform
policymakers
on
STEM
education.