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.