Berkeley Springs High School junior Jillian Fortney (right) and other members of her high school dance team paint the high school’s new dance room as part of Fortney’s Girl Scout Gold Award “Moving for Teen Mental Health” project. paint.Photo by Holly McCumbie

Kate Evans

Jillian Fortney, a senior at Berkeley Springs High School, created a dance and focused exercise room at Berkeley Springs High School for her Girl Scout Gold Award-winning Mobility for Teenage Mental Health project . Fortney also disseminates information about teen mental health and how teens deal with anxiety, stress, and depression.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the Boy Scout equivalent of the Eagle Scout Project. Fortney has been a Girl Scout for 12 years.

Fortney has also been a dancer for 11 years and has been dancing for three years at Berkeley Springs High School with high school dance teacher Holli McCumbee. Fortney and her high school dance team raised just under $8,000 for her dance room this summer, through her Walk of Colors held at Kakapon State Park, and T her shirt. created and sold, and collected donations from local organizations.

All funds go to the dance room. Flooring, paint, bars, mirrors and any other dance or exercise equipment McCumbie needs. The Lions Club is covering the cost of the bar and mirrors will be installed next week.

The high school dance team painted the dance room, and Fortney, McCumbie, Fortney’s mom, dad, grandma, and Kelly Smith laid the new Harlequin vinyl flooring on the dance floor.

movement as balance

Fortney says she has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and focused movement and flow are her greatest outlets. I draw

Fortney also paints people’s shoes as part of Small Business Joggers by Jillian on Instagram.

These activities improve Fortney’s panic attacks and stress levels and help balance her mood, she said. Focused movement, also known as flow, allows you to be completely immersed in your activity and at peace.

mental health statistics

High school students with mental health issues are more than twice as likely to drop out of school.

“Untreated mental health disorders can interfere with sleep, energy levels, focus, interest, and make it difficult to function normally,” said Fortney.

“Teenages with good mental and emotional health have better physical health, fewer relationship problems, and are less likely to abuse substances in adulthood.

According to Fortney, most mental health problems occur during the teenage years. From the age of 12 until he is 18, one in five of her teens in the United States suffers from at least one form of mental illness. In the United States he has more than 2.5 million young people with severe major depression.

Fortney said she is passionate about dance and movement.

“We believe that dance, art and movement belong to everyone. This room gives so many students the opportunity to dance and move in a safe and well-equipped room while at the same time improving their mental health. It gives you the tools to do it,” added Fortney.

Berkeley Springs High School offers many extracurricular activities such as dance, choir, bands, arts and many sports and clubs. Fortney said she wants to share with her peers what has helped her deal with her anxiety and break down the stigma of mental health disorders.

dance program

Holli McCumbee has been teaching dance at Berkeley Springs High School for 18 years. She teaches dance at multiple levels along with health and driver safety education. McCumbie has 42 dance students this year.

First-level classes allow students to try different forms of dance, including jazz, ballet, tap, ballroom, swing, line, hip-hop, and contemporary dance.

Higher level dance classes allow students to conduct their own research in the dance genre of interest.

After years of sharing a room with wrestling, McCumbie was thrilled when she got her own room for dance and movement instruction last year. I’m here. McCumbee says it’s been a dream come true for her dance department as it’s grown tremendously.

McCumbie would like to host dance classes and movement workshops with community instructors in yoga, zumba, tai chi and hula hoop. She wants to buy some of her tumbling mats for acrobatics and acro dance (her new genre of dance).

“Kids love it,” McCumbie said.

Fortney receives a Girl Scout Gold Award for her project just weeks after the dance room mirrors are installed and she submits her final report. Fortney said dancing and mental health are shared across our community and she’s excited to continue.

School Board Vice Chancellor Pete Gordon said he appreciated Fortney’s community service projects and her efforts to give back to the community. said Tony’s teenage mental health statistics were compelling.

Fortney is a great role model for students, said school superintendent Kristen Tuttle.