Issaquah, Lake Washington principals learn about Sammamish YMCA youth programs, services

Administrators and educators from elementary, middle and high schools throughout the Issaquah and Lake Washington school districts and from Eastside Catholic School learned about all of the youth programs the Sammamish YMCA has to offer at the organization’s annual principals breakfast on the morning of Sept. 29.

Executive Director David Mayer began the morning by telling the story of a 17-year-old Eastlake High School student who lifeguards at the pool in the mornings before his Running Start classes at Bellevue College begin.

Earlier this week, a man swimming in the pool suffered a heart attack. The Eastlake student, according to Mayer, assisted in administering CPR and thus saving the man’s life.

“That’s something that he’s going to remember for a lifetime,” Mayer said.

The YMCA, the educators learned, is the largest employer of minors in the U.S. Over 100 students who are 16 and 17 years old work at the Sammamish YMCA alone.

“I wouldn’t trade that youth staff for anyone in the world,” Mayer declared.

At last year’s YMCA breakfast, the educators discussed the need for mental health services for young people in the community. Local schools have been especially focused in recent years on providing more mental health resources for students, as well as reducing the negative stigma around seeking mental health treatment.

To help fill this gap, the Sammamish YMCA brought it’s first-ever full-time mental health counselor, Allora Tvedt, on board in July.

Tvedt said that she hopes she will be able to help people who aren’t able to go to a therapist’s office due to cost, transportation difficulties or simply the fear and embarrassment caused by the societal stigma that there is something wrong with a person who goes to an office and seeks counseling.

“We’re all people,” Tvedt stressed. “We all have brains we need to take care of, just like our bodies.”

The principals said that this would be a wonderful resource for their students, who — even at the elementary level — struggle with stress.

“I’ve noticed a number of students who have anxiety,” said Sandy Klein, principal at Margaret Mead Elementary in Sammamish.

And, as Challenger Elementary Principal Sara Jo Pietraszewski pointed out, school counselors already “wear so many hats” that it can be difficult to give each student the help they need — yet another reason why the YMCA’s new mental health counselor is such an important resource in the community.

Leslie Lederman, principal at Sunny Hills Elementary School in Sammamish, said that much of the anxiety is due to the enormous performance pressure put on children at a young age.

“What we’re seeing is, our families have unrealistic expectations for their kids,” Lederman said. She encourages families to let go of some of these stress-creating academic and athletic expectations and just enjoy time together, whether by playing outside together or sharing meals as a family.

The principals discussed the fact that cultural differences may play a large role in the pressure to succeed; in economically-challenged countries around the world, students know that their high academic performance is their only ticket out of poverty. With so many families coming to local school districts from other countries (Klein said that 31 different languages are spoken by the students at her school), these cultural values have traveled here as well.

In addition to mental health resources, the YMCA’s physical education programs for students were also discussed in detail.

Through the YMCA’s playEVERYDAY program, the Y brings physical activities, from running to Zumba, to kids during recess and before and after school to ensure that children get the physical activity that their bodies need. Additionally, the program gives every child a place to fit in; recess can be a time where students group up without including everyone, but with playEVERYDAY, everyone is welcome.

Alana Sivadasan, principal of Endeavour Elementary in Issaquah, said that lunchtime used to be when the largest amount of referrals were given to students. Since playEVERYDAY came to campus, however, that number has dropped.

“The kids were pumped,” she said. “Every time [the Y] came, they looked forward to it.”

Mayer said that the program recently started at four additional schools.

“We want to make sure this is something we can do for a really long time,” he said.

Jan Matthews, who focuses on education in her role on the YMCA Board of Directors, said that “the biggest kept secret is how much outreach the Y does.”

“We want to create this partnership,” Matthews said.

At the end of the very busy hour, Mayer thanked the administrators and educators for attending the event.

“We’re so excited to be in your schools and doing programming with your kids,” he said.

Educators learn about the different outreach programs offered by the Sammamish YMCA to local schools. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

The group listens to Stacy Cho, principal of Beaver Lake Middle School, discuss the school’s Green Team, an extension of Sammamish YMCA Earth Service Corps program. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

Allora Tvedt, mental health counselor at the Sammamish YMCA, explains why it is so important to be as conscious of brain health as of physical health. Nicole Jennings/staff photo