North Platte High School hosted the annual Mental Health Awareness Day on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

This was a free, educational resource for students to learn about a variety of mental health topics, led by professionals in their respective fields.

The event was a normal day of attendance for juniors and seniors, though underclassmen had the option of talking to their counselors about getting allowance to come.

Those who did come were given a free pizza lunch, raffle tickets for prizes, and a shirt, along with hand-outs and information taught at their classes.

The theme of this year was “Back to the Future,” but the real message behind it was more serious.

“This year the theme is ‘The Future Needs You’ and we, as a team, decided that it was what our students needed right now. Not only do we appreciate and want you in our lives now, but the future needs you, too,” organizer Grace Fletcher said.

The event was hosted by Great Plains Health and the school district Student Services Team, which Fletcher is a part of. They work together to find relevant resources students can depend on.

It followed the same schedule structure as last year; 8 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. There were more than 20 different speakers discussing different breakout sessions, followed by keynote speaker Lisa Utterbeck, Student and Community Services Chief Officer with Omaha Public Schools.

Students should attend next year because “it’s a blast. It’s so much fun,” junior Keagan Hartman said. He chose to attend the sessions “Dangers of Fentanyl” and “Help for High-Achieving Students.”

At the end of the day, Hartman won a box of Mike and Ikes and a Dunkin Donuts gift card from the event’s free raffle.

“There was lots of information that I had not heard, even though drug awareness is very important,” Hartman said. “It’s important to stay on top of it.”

In the future, Hartman said he would like to see sessions on prevention on handling others, rather than handling oneself.

The sessions were made to cater to their audience, so students could choose sessions covering material relevant to their lives.

“The way it’s designed is for students to really be able to choose what breakouts they go to based on their needs,” Fletcher said.

Students chose topics such as anxiety, life after high school, substance use and burnout, among others.

“It’s to provide them with some knowledge from really great well-versed professionals in the fields that they work in,” Fletcher said.

Speakers included representatives from the Rape/Domestic Abuse Program (RDAP), doctors and scientists, among many others.

This year, the information was also available to other schools in the area.

Upperclassmen were also brought from other schools to attend.

“If I could tell students something, I would say just to really focus on themselves when they choose their breakouts and not just go with what their friends are doing, or what they might think is popular,” Fletcher said.

She hopes that after another successful year, this will become a tradition and the annual mental health awareness days continue for years to come. It will continue to educate students and staff, as well as provide resources for students who would like to get more in-depth help or answers.

“Not only do we appreciate and want you in our lives now, but the future needs you, too,” she said. “Students are the future of our country and society.”