Les Brown is one of the world's leading motivational speakers and thought leaders in the field of self-improvement and goal-setting. For him, things weren't always this way. Having grown up in Liberty City, Miami in an abandoned building, he has experienced hardship all of his life.

Les struggled academically from the start. Some of the academic scholars of his day referred to him as "educable mentally handicapped," and he was placed back from 6th to 5th grades. Moreover, he had an exceptionally bright and gifted twin brother, which led to Les being called the "DT" --the "dumb twin" by his peers

One day a teacher asked Les to come up and solve a problem on the chalkboard. He refused, stating he couldn't. "Of course you can," the teacher responded encouragingly. "Young man, come up here and solve this problem for me."

"But I can't," insisted Les. "I'm educationally mentally handicapped." The rest of the class erupted in laughter. At that point, the teacher stepped out from behind his desk and looked Les straight in the eye. "Don't ever say that again," he told him firmly. "Someone else's opinion of you does not have to become your reality."

Les never forgot those words, and spent the rest of his life overcoming incredible odds and pursuing his goals with passion and intensity. Time and time again, thanks to that one teacher's powerful revelation, Les has lived the phrase he's famous for all over the world: You have greatness within you.

In partnership with Montgomery Public Schools, The Junior League of Montgomery hosted their 39th Annual College and Career Fair. This event is a FREE public event designed for high school juniors, seniors, parents, guidance counselors, and administrators. Students met and engaged with college and career representatives, obtained admissions and scholarship information, and discovered financial aid opportunities during the College & Career Fair.

During this event, MPS students had access to a mental health and wellness information table for the first time. Students pictured below from JAG and BTW High Schools were very receptive to the information and vocal about their thoughts and feelings regarding depression, grief, separation anxiety, and suicide. Additionally, students also advocated for healthy eating; they would love to see their school's lunch program return to nutritious lunches, including their favorite; prepared salad kits! Overall, this event was a success and MPS students left feeling more informed and empowered.

We can all help prevent suicide. Suicide is a public health issue that impact the lives of many people, both pediatric and adult populations across all demographics and ethnicities. Every year, the Lifeline and other mental health organizations and individuals across the U.S. and around the world raise awareness of suicide prevention during September, National Suicide Prevention Month.

#BeThe1To is the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s message for National Suicide Prevention Month and beyond, which helps spread the word about actions we can all take to prevent suicide. The Lifeline network and its partners are working to change the conversation from suicide to suicide prevention, to actions that can promote healing, help and give hope.

https://988lifeline.org/participate/

#BeThe1ToAsk

#BeThe1ToKeepThem Safe

#BeThe1ToBeThere

#BeThe1ToHelp Them Connect

#BeThe1ToFollowUp

#BeThe1ToLearn More

Catoma Elementary School faculty and staff received professional development training on the topics below.

• The Power of Healthy Relationships at Work
• The Importance of Guided Meditation in the Classroom with Children

These trainings are the beginning of a series of learning sessions intended to promote cultures of health and wellness throughout our organization. Attendees received strategies and resources to create a healthy work environment. They felt motivated and inspired to create healthier relationships and a more mindful school community! #TheresMoreWithMPS

Looking back at the outdoor activities we grew up enjoying and the intergenerational work being done to maintain them.

"Engaging in outdoor activities can positively impact one's ability to communicate and interact socially with others," says pediatrician Shontae Buffington. Emotional intelligence is just as crucial as natural intelligence, and the opportunity to grow that muscle starts on the playground. As adults, the importance of people skills is on full display daily; why wouldn't any parent want to cultivate that skill as early as possible in their child to ensure success? Now that the facts are in, it's clear how children's mental, physical, and social development is better off from playing outside.

https://www.parents.com/double-dutch-roller-skating-hand-games-7629462

Our Autumn RAKtivist Toolkit starts off with our October theme of mental health and self-care. Every season RAK creates a toolkit to help all of you promote kindness throughout your own communities using our six kindness concepts of RESPECT, CARING, INCLUSIVENESS, INTEGRITY, RESPONSIBILITY, and COURAGE.

Below are some ideas to get you started. Don’t feel obligated to do all of these activities. The goal is to choose at least one and then stick with it. Kindness is contagious and once you start, others will inevitably join in! You can also download this toolkit as a PDF by clicking this link.

International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is an event in which survivors of suicide loss come together to find connection, understanding, and hope through their shared experience. This year, International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is Saturday, November 18, 2023. When someone is lost to suicide it impacts those who knew and loved them. For those people, the grief and trauma can be especially difficult to handle. This day is all about showing support and love to the survivors of suicide.

While no amount of resources would ever be considered comprehensive of each person’s unique experiences in the aftermath of suicide loss, below is a listing of books from which we hope loss survivors will find helpful information and guidance as they navigate their healing journey.

https://afsp.org/books-for-loss-survivors/

The Red Ribbon Photo Contest is Now Open! Students, families, and schools across America are invited to participate in the 13th Annual National Red Ribbon Week Photo Contest aimed at raising visibility to live drug-free by being creative. www.redribbon.org

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Join the movement and give – each Tuesday and every day – whether it’s some of your time, a donation, or the power of your voice in your local community.

It’s a simple idea: whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to contribute toward building the better world we all want to live in. https://www.givingtuesday.org/

I would love to hear from you. If there are questions, suggestions, or ideas for our newsletters, please let me know. If you love them, let me know that as well! 😊

Michele Murphy, M.Ed.

Montgomery Public Schools

Mental Health Services Coordinator

michele.murphy@mps.k12.al.us

(334) 223-6851 Ext. 70705