Metea Valley’s Mental Health Matters Club hosted the DVC Wellness Forum, bringing together students from Districts 203 and 204 on January 30. Staff and students will discuss Mental Health initiatives, clubs, and programs in their schools and communities, providing ample time to engage new ideas and perspectives for the Mental Health Awareness Week coming up the week of May 12, 2025.
The Wellness Forum, which began in 2019 within the DuPage Valley Conference allows students interested in mental health advocacy to discuss, share, and brainstorm student-led mental health-related initiatives and activities within their buildings. The event itself originated because of students’ strong interest in mental health, permitting the event to run yearly.
“Principal Daniel DeBruycker brought the idea up to us when he was assistant principal due to his past connections while being the athletic director,” Mental Health Matters Club Co-Sponsor and Teacher of Spanish & English Language Learners Brandi Bane said. “However when COVID-19 hit, the event went away.”
The forum was put on hold with both the pandemic and the shift to remote learning. Thanks to the persistence of Waubonsie students in attendance at the first Wellness Forum, the event was brought back and hosted at Waubonsie for two years.
“This will be technically the fourth one, but the third in a row,” Bane stated.
With the Mental Health Matters Club hosting 50 students coming from districts 203 and 204, the event provided a platform for students and staff to collaborate, share ideas, and participate in engaging activities to promote mental health awareness.
“We wanted to incorporate discussions about wellness and mental health along with feature activities for participants to try at the forum that has contributed positively to others’ well-being, Metea’s Director of Counseling and Mental Health Matters Club Co-Sponsor,” Darcy Hutzler said. “We were thinking about the idea that there are many ways/paths to maintain your mental health and wellness.”
This year’s DVC Wellness Forum focused on the theme “Ways to Wellness.” Students explored various therapeutic activities such as walking, yoga, or listening to music. A student representative from Naperville North High School, Kate Aoki, explained her favorite activity of the day.
“My favorite activity was definitely the comedy improv,” Aoki said. “It was very creative and something I have never done before.”
The Metea Valley Mental Health Matters Mission strives to foster dialogue, promote awareness, reduce stigma, and empower all members of the Metea community regarding mental health. The forum provided an opportunity for students to live by the Mission, while following Wellness Forum Norms which include respecting confidentiality, valuing other’s opinions, keeping an open mind, and being in the moment free of distractions. Hutzler encourages students who have the opportunity to attend due to the countless benefits it provides.
“Mental health and wellness are so important to students and the forum is an opportunity to share ideas with each other about how to raise awareness and reduce stigma related to mental health,” Hutzler said. “Students who attend can have a leadership role in planning events and activities that they think will be of interest to their peers at their schools while having a chance to connect and collaborate with students at other schools to brainstorm together and share ideas.”
For more information about the forum or the Mental Health Matters Club, please reach out to Co-Sponsors Brandi Bane or Darcy Hutzler.
