The Bromfield School hosted a mental health assembly for its middle school students Friday, May 24, in the Cronin Auditorium. Caleb Campbell, former National Football League linebacker for the Detroit Lions and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, delivered a poignant speech as speaker for Teen Truth, an organization dedicated to “empowering student voice, enhancing school culture, and building student resilience.”
Stephen Greene, principal of the middle school, said in a pre-assembly interview that conflict management is a challenge among the students. “Our kids, post-COVID, are so egotistical in that they are now able to talk about themselves very well,” Greene said. “The empathic connection to others is not really there … kids are solving their own problems: ‘I know how I feel, I’m uncomfortable, but am I aware of when I am making someone else uncomfortable?’”
Campbell addressed empathy early in his talk when he recounted a story from his adolescence. He shared his struggles with suicidal thoughts and how a classmate recognized the signs and saved Campbell from what would have been a devastating decision. He also drove home the point that the words and actions each student exhibits have a direct impact on their peers.
Stand up
Toward the end of the assembly, Campbell made a big ask of students. He explained that it would take great bravery for audience members to participate in his activity. He said he would like them to show courage by standing in front of all their peers to answer two questions. Campbell first asked middle schoolers to stand if they have experienced any type of fear in the recent past. He used examples such as fear of what is happening in the world, fear of specific people in school, and fear of being seen. Approximately 80% of the student body stood.
Campbell then asked students to stand if they had faced any mental health struggles in the recent past, including depression and anxiety. Three quarters of the students stood. There was some nervous laughter that Campbell immediately addressed. He called out the behavior, noting it was likely inadvertent, but that in this moment of vulnerability, those struggling to be brave might see the laughter as a judgment by those around them.
The final question Campbell had for students asked anyone who wanted to “be the change,” be the type of person that saved Campbell’s life when he was struggling, to stand. The entire student body stood, many wiping tears from their eyes, as they all committed to helping others cope with the challenges all kids face in adolescence.
Kellie Carlucci, dean of students for the middle school, said in an email after the assembly: “I hope Caleb’s message about not needing to make someone else feel small to make yourself feel big really hit home. While struggling with their own fears or mental health challenges, it can be difficult to put themselves in a classmate’s shoes. Someone can appear very confident and happy on the outside, but have turmoil on the inside.”
“I know when some of the students were filing in, they commented about how boring it would be or that the message was probably ‘Don’t do drugs. End of assembly,’” said Carlucci. “Those same students had a visible reaction to [Campbell’s] message of tears, hugging friends, and standing when he asked those hard questions.”
Coping with current events
Greene said that current events, including the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, and the political atmosphere surrounding the current presidential election, all contribute to students’ well-being, or lack thereof. “Put it all in there and mix it up and you’ve got a lot of kids who have ambiguous fear, ambiguous loss, ambiguous hatred. We really need to figure out how to combat that,” he said.
Funding for the expert-led assembly came from a grant obtained by the nursing staff at Bromfield for mental health initiatives. Carlucci said the health curriculum at the school is robust, aiding in the effort to support student wellness. She also noted that the plan for the middle school’s What-You-Need-What-I-Need (WYN-WIN) block includes many opportunities for faculty to incorporate social-emotional learning beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.
