Our 7th grade Wellness class embarked on a meaningful project to create warm wishes winter care kits for the Caring House over the last 2 weeks. Spearheaded by students, the initiative successfully raised over $500 through donations and a bake sale. The students diligently engaged in marketing and outreach, contacting local businesses such as Super One Foods, Tadych's Marketplace Foods Iron Mountain, MI, and Walmart Iron Mountain, all of which generously contributed to their cause!

This experience not only taught the students valuable lessons about compassion and dedication but also underscored the importance of community involvement. The care kits were thoughtfully packed with toiletries, snacks, hats, gloves, scarves, clothes, socks, toothpaste, and other essentials. Selena and Trisha from the Caring House visited to accept the donations and shared how this community service effort positively impacted their organization. This student lead project allowed students to show, build or hone skills to create more projects in the future

IMHS Tri-Hi-Y members initiated a new Women’s Health Project for ninth through twelfth graders at the school. Club members Annaliese Lucas and Veronica Stanchina (L to R) helped kickstart the project in December. Both girls are seniors who take part in Iron Mountain High School’s Tri-Hi-Y Club. Way to go, Mountaineers!

The Iron Mountain Public School District exists in part because individuals volunteer their time to make informed decisions about the issues facing public schools. During the first month of the year, the staff, students, and families of the Iron Mountain community recognize, thank, and celebrate the seven individuals who make up the Iron Mountain Public School Board of Education during School Board Recognition Month.

Shari Picucci-White

Ben DeRidder

Darren Petschar

Jennifer Solka

Lisa Carollo

James Carollo

Juan Saldana

Thank you for your dedication and service to the Iron Mountain Public School community! Read more about our Board of Education members here: http://imps.news/EtsN

North Elementary School staff and students gathered today to introduce standards for a refined behavior expectations system through an exciting and fun assembly! Olympic Gold Medalist Nick Baumgartner was in attendance to share a message with the students!

T-shirts were provided to every student and games were played to introduce the new GOLD acronym to North Elementary students. (Generous, Open-minded, Leaders, Determined)

The IMHS pep band and cheerleading squad were in attendance as well. Games surrounding the four behavior expectations were communicated through games, Nick got involved as well!

Thank you so much to Nick Baumgartner and the PBIS Committee at North Elementary School/DIISD for planning this memorable event and for encouraging our students to be their best selves!

More on PBIS: (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports)

Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based three-tiered framework to improve and integrate all of the data, systems, and practices affecting student outcomes every day. Learn more here: https://www.pbis.org/

Dear Parents and Guardians,
Our district is partnering with Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District to provide a program called Teen Mental Health First Aid to our 10th grade students. We are fortunate to have been selected as one of the districts in our region to receive funding for this program and are looking forward to seeing the positive impact it will have. We will hold a brief informational meeting with students on January 23, 2025 during the school day. Course sessions will begin the week of January 27, 2025, ending the week of March 10th. Please read below for additional details.

Teen Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based training that teaches teens in grades 10-12, or ages 15- 18, how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges in their friends and peers. The training gives teens the skills they need to have supportive conversations with their friends and emphasizes the importance of getting help from a responsible and trusted adult. Young people often turn to each other when stressed or upset and try to help, sometimes taking on too much. tMHFA teaches them they don’t have to take these problems on alone. The course discusses issues that some teens may find distressing, like school violence and suicide. You may wish to discuss these subjects with your teen before or after the training. Additional resources can be found on the following page of this communication.

We believe it is important to provide this training for our students, as mental health challenges are very common in adolescents. The implementation of this course is not due to any specific student or incident, and specific student situations will not be discussed. If a serious incident does occur within our school, it will be handled confidentially. The course is being taught by staff members from Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District. All instructors teaching the course have received special training and are certified to teach the course by Mental Health First Aid USA®, a division of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

The course will be taught in six 45-minute sessions. These sessions will be completed between January 27th, 2025 and March 14th, 2025. Please see the following page for the main topics of each session and additional resources. If you have questions, would like additional details, or do not want your student to participate in these sessions, please contact our main office at (906) 779-2610.

Helpful Resources

To learn more about mental health problems:

● Teens Health

www.teenshealth.org/teen/your_min

● National Alliance on Mental Illness

www.nami.org/Find-Support/Teens-and-Young-Adults

● National Institute of Mental Health

www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/child-and-adolescent-mental-health/index.shtml

To learn more about Mental Health First Aid:

● Mental Health First Aid USA

www.MentalHealthFirstAid.org

National Helpline

● If you or someone you know needs immediate help, call 911.

● National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

-Call 800-273-TALK (8255)

-Visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

● Crisis Text Line

-Text “MHFA” to 741-741 for free 24/7 crisis counseling.

-Visit www.crisistextline.org

Thank you to Simone Insurance for continuing to support IMHS students in their pursuit of higher education.
This year, Simone Insurance has donated $1,000 for the Simone Insurance Scholarship (formerly the Danielson Insurance Scholarship)
Pictured, Melissa Doucette from Simone Insurance presents a $1,000 check to IMHS Scholarship Administrator, Dawn Smith.

Please help us in thanking Megan Rose and the Dickinson County Library for their generous contribution to our School Success program! These donated items will be put to good use for students in need. Thank you!

The IMHS Winter Formal is set for January 25 from 7:30-10:00 PM. Guest passes are due to the front office no later than Thursday, January 23.