In order to cultivate relaxation and fun within the student body, social workers Marcella Garcia and Jocelyn Kim have introduced a new space for students to socialize away from the cafeteria called, “Principal’s Patio.” 

“Principal’s Patio is just a chance for kids that need to take a break from the cafeteria chaos,” Garcia said. “Sometimes it could be overwhelming, and so it’s just a place where you can come and hang, play some games, color, and just chat with us if you want to.”

To balance out the stress that comes along with being a high school student, Garcia explains how it is important to have a community to rely on for support. 

“We really want kiddos to feel like Southwest is a place that they belong and feel accepted,” Garcia said. “There’s a lot of things that go into that sense of belonging, and a lot of science. A lot of what we need as humans. There’s the importance of building community, because we’re not meant to live life by ourselves. We need the support of those around us and people that we feel get us. So I think it’s important that a sense of belonging is the main focus. If you don’t feel like you have a place at school, then it makes it really hard to get up in the mornings and have to go through the day feeling like an outsider. ”

With the current success of the space, Garcia and Kim are looking to students for suggestions for improvements.

“We like to ask students who have joined us at the Principals Patio for their opinion’s on what they would like to see in the future,” Kim said. “Any activities they would like to add or other games. We created this with the intention of creating rapport with students, to let them know that there is additional support for mental health and support in general for the entire student body.  In order to better support the students’ needs, we need to create relationships with you guys first.”

Kim and Garcia have been working with other administrators to implement this. 

“Admin is basically the boss of things, and so if they’re not cooperative, or they don’t feel that what we’re doing is important, then they probably wouldn’t give us the green light to do these things.” Garcia said. “And so we’re just lucky to have a really wonderful administration that is open minded and willing to do what they need to do for their students.”

Some students find the Principal’s Patio to be a good place to meet new people and engage with each other as a community.

“I think it’s beneficial because it allows other students to interact with each other in a more comfortable way, instead of just talking to each other at lunch,” junior Kenjin Ly-men said. “Because for the students who don’t really talk or are more lonely, they can find someone over there that they have something in common with so they can get out of the shell. Without being as chaotic and as crowded as the cafeteria, you can be yourself. ”

Ensuring that all students feel supported and welcome, Kim and Garcia are excited for the future of this program. 

“Ultimately, it is all about fostering an environment where students feel welcomed and can work on some of the coping strategies we suggest when meeting with students one on one,” Garcia said. “We also want students and staff to know who we are and that we are here to support them. Sometimes students feel stigma when reaching out for support and we want to eliminate that so we can help anyone who needs it.”