Over these past few months, mental illness has become a pressing issue at Rocklin High, now more than ever. Even so, many feel that school is not the place to talk about personal mental problems or individual hardships, that mind comes before matter. However, people don’t realize the mind often is the actual problem.

NAMI works to fix that idea.

“When someone says that they have cancer, everyone’s very sympathetic. But when someone says, ‘Oh, this person has a mental illness,’ they don’t take it as seriously. But a strong mind is a strong body, and we’re just trying to raise awareness,” explains sophomore Jane Lee, a member of NAMI.

NAMI, or the National Alliance for Mental Illness, is a national organization that encourages people to actually discuss mental issues as opposed to merely glossing over them. On our campus, the NAMI club hopes to “not only foster a positive attitude on campus, but raise awareness for importance of mental health and mental well-being,” according to senior Gillian Flowers, founder of the school’s club.

The club has sponsored activities like the Green Ribbon Game, the passing out of green ribbons on campus, the green balloon event and Breaking Down the Walls. Each of these activities strives to rally students to gain a better understanding of one another, whether it be through openly admitting our own flaws or being locked in the gym with each other for an entire day.

Though the club is still new, it’s fundamental goal is critical.

“There are many people at this school with anxiety or depression or other mental illnesses they don’t want to share about. We aren’t wanting to force them into our club or anything, but we just want them to know it’s okay to have these…,” says Jane.

Regardless of whether you decide to join or not, NAMI’s impact is vital to the livelihood of our students. Helping one another acknowledge hardship and tear down the barriers surrounding underlying cliques at our school is crucial to maintaining our own well being. The club gradually picks at the negative aspects surrounding teen culture and works to turn them into a unifier.

The NAMI club is important because it pulls focus beyond the academics of school, but to campus culture. Mental health is an often overlooked topic; a disability ignored because it cannot be physically seen. Even so, it is crucial to remember that, in the words of Jane Lee herself: a strong mind is a strong body. These illnesses should not be ignored just because some might believe you can be “bigger” than them; the mind is equivalent to the matter.