The Samaritan Connection Vol 35 Issue 2 October 2024 - 3

Looking Ahead: TeenHope School Year 2024 - 2025
American author and broadcaster Tom Bodett once said, " In school, you're
taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a
lesson. " This idiom resonates with the TeenHope staff as we embark on our 11th
year
providing mental health education and screening to middle and high school students
in Lancaster County.
Samaritan Center's TeenHope team looks forward to utilizing our decade's worth
of knowledge and experience to continue to impact the lives of teens in the 2024
- 2025 school year. We're excited to share an update about some of the exciting
opportunities ahead.
First, we'd like to express our deep gratitude to Dr. Valerie
Minnich for her three years of service as TeenHope Director.
She has made a profound impact in her tenure as director, while
successfully guiding and sustaining the program through the
uncertainty of the pandemic and the years that followed. Dr.
Minnich was instrumental in updating our clinical guidelines and
procedures, transitioning the program's model from a FERPA to
HIPPA, and reimagining our staffing structure from volunteers to
master's students and residents pursuing clinical licensure. This past
July, Valerie officially transitioned into her new role as Samaritan's
first Clinical Training Director. She will remain on the TeenHope Management
team as an active member and advocate for the program.
To that end,
Samaritan Center's
Executive Director
Steven Schedler
will be stepping
in to oversee the
TeenHope program
for the upcoming
school year, alongside
Program Coordinator
Ben Faro and Screening Specialist Rebecca Felegy. The daily operations and
procedures of the program will remain the same as they have in previous years.
We are pleased to announce a new cohort of interns for the fall. This group
includes both new and returning faces. Please join us in welcoming Erika Snitzer
from Adler University, Kayla Wetzel from Lockhaven University, Emily Keener
from Millersville University, Lizzie Grosh and Jessie Brown from Messiah University,
and Jorge Mergado from Elizabethtown College. These interns will be an integral
part of the TeenHope screening team.
We currently have 11 participating schools for the 2024-2025 school year, both
public and private, in nine districts across Lancaster County, with the hopes of
continuing to add additional schools and organizations to expand our impact even
further. The participating schools currently include Donegal Junior High School,
Lancaster Country Day School (Upper and Lower School), Solanco High School,
Warwick Middle and High School, Ephrata Area High School, Lampeter Strasburg
High School, Lancaster Mennonite Middle and High School, and Manheim
Township High School.
Our goal is to screen over 2,000 students in the upcoming school year, surpassing
the total students screened last year. In the upcoming school year, in addition to
interacting with our new team members, each student taking part in our program
will receive a revised and updated resource guide, as well as attend and participate in
our revamped interactive educational presentation.
Celebrating 10 Years of
TeenHope!
We're especially grateful to all who have
invested personally, professionally, and
financially in the success of TeenHope
over the last 10 years. Through your
generous support, we've been able
to screen over 18,000 students! As
TeenHope enters its 11th
year, we remain
steadfast in our mission to save lives by
preventing teen suicide and reducing
the physical, emotional, and academic
impacts for teens living with anxiety and
depression. We appreciate your shared
passion for caring and addressing the
mental health challenges of the teens in
our community and partnering alongside
us for yet another school year - thank
you!
is the only thing
stronger than fear
3
https://www.nxtbook.com/samaritancenter/TeenHope/annual-report-2023-2024/index.php https://samaritanlancaster.org/mental-health-wellness/teenhope/
The Samaritan Connection Vol 35 Issue 2 October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Samaritan Connection Vol 35 Issue 2 October 2024
