SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass. - Southbridge High School is eyeing major changes in the way teachers and faculty help address mental health struggles as part of a new project with Clark University and the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts.

The "Southbridge CARES" project will include three separate strategies to use evidence-based services, tools and technology to set students up for success and work to improve their mental health.

It includes a social development curriculum to help students learn about themselves and set goals for the future, a mobile application developed by Clark University which provides on-the-go mental health screenings and information, and a sensory immersion room which will be built over the coming months.

Students now attending Southbridge High spent some formative years of their education in the midst of a global pandemic, and across the nation, school administrators have come to focus less on discipline and more on addressing the root causes of why students may act out.

“It was about school suspensions, detentions, punishment,” said Southbridge superintendent Jeffrey Villar. “And I think where folks have come around is we've learned to realize that behavior is a form of communication, and it's talking about needs that students have that are unmet.”

Kelly Williamson, director of elementary education and social and emotional learning at Southbridge Public Schools, is particularly excited for students to start using the mobile application, called "MI PEACE." The app gives counselors a platform to create plans tailored to students’ individual needs, among other features.

“Being able to send out a quick pulse check on a student before they're heading into the school day allows the staff to set that child up for success if they feel like maybe they need a check-in right off,” Williamson said. “They could be there right at the door to meet them and check in and make sure that they're going to have a good day.”

The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts is providing grant funding for the first year of "Southbridge CARES." President and CEO Amie Shei said communities like Southbridge are often overlooked in efforts like this, and the foundation wanted to help out.

“There's no one size fits all approach to addressing students’ mental health needs, and that is the beauty of this intervention,” Shei said. “It's multi-tiered. So there are different levels of support to meet students where they are, depending on what their needs are on any particular day. It brings to the table some cutting edge technology that a district like Southbridge might not otherwise have the opportunity to have.”