‘Common Threads’ theme of third #WhyYouMatter project

By Crystal Hayduk

Chelsea High School (CHS) students participated in a “Common Threads” assembly on Feb. 1 to kick off the third annual #WhyYouMatter campaign.

Senior Jacqueline Taylor, one of the students in the diverse group of 25 who helped plan the event, said this year’s campaign focus is on “…the connections we hold near and dear to our hearts, ones we hope and strive to strengthen, and ones we desire to form. Our connections compose a web that is impossible to maintain without each person in the community playing their vital role and holding up their connections with others.”

Teacher Laura Naar, one of the five advisors for #WhyYouMatter, said that the team tweaked their plans for this year’s theme following the death of sophomore Chris Hassett on Saturday, Jan. 5. Hassett’s death, along with the loss of 18-year-old Tyler Macheske in a car crash on Dec. 11, has left the student body and faculty reeling from grief again this year.

“We all had to take a step back, even in our sadness, and keep asking and listening to the kids’ ideas of what they think we need to do,” said Naar. “It seemed they wanted something deeper and with more purpose, and to find ways to connect with others, especially in school. The world today is very divisive, which filters down to the kids. And social media has left everyone feeling less connected to people in some ways.”

Teachers who spoke at this year’s assembly included Adam Schilt, Dawn Putnam, Shawn Sinacola, and Jason Murphy.

Tariq Mekkaoui, a University of Michigan student who is co-founder and director of Heal-Move-Shift, a non-profit that works to support the emotional well-being of youth, also spoke at the assembly. (Video of the assembly is in the editing phase. When completed, it will be available to view on the Guidance and Counseling page of the CHS website at https://www.chelsea.k12.mi.us/chs/guidance-and-counseling/index.)

Following the afternoon assembly, students returned to their final class of the day to engage in a reflective conversation. They addressed questions related to how they felt at the moment, how they related the speakers’ presentations to their own lives, and how they felt after the recent deaths of the young people in the community.

“Students wrote their anonymous answers on Post-it Notes® which were displayed so they could see that they weren’t alone in their thoughts,” said Naar.

Students also conversed in small groups about things that make them feel stress and what they can do to feel better. Each student also received a small card printed with resource information.

Taylor said that in the near future, students will participate in a project to deepen the theme of common threads and connections.

“Art provides a conversation starter,” said Naar.

CHS Principal Mike Kapolka said, “It has been amazing to observe what our students, Mrs. Naar and Mr. Murphy have been able to establish with our #WhyYouMatter campaign in our school community at CHS over the past two and a half years. They have established a positive and lasting culture in which we take time as a school community to discuss topics such as mental health, resiliency, empathy and connectivity to one another. Given the fast-paced nature of what most comprehensive high schools look like, I am so proud of our staff for valuing this work as they are truly invested in the well-being of our students both inside and outside of their classrooms.”

The first #WhyYouMatter campaign was in 2017, conceived in Chelsea following the deaths of three local young people between October, 2015 and August, 2016.

It recently attained 501c3 status. The campaign, which can be followed on Twitter at #WhyYouMatter, has spread to schools in other states, and most recently to Canada and the U.K.

More information about the first two years of the campaign can be found at http://www.whyyoumatter.org/.