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Did You Know?
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Raise Awareness
Oklahoma ranks 3rd in the nation for rates of any Mental Illness at 22.4%.
Oklahoma is 2nd in the nation at 11.9% for any Substance Abuse Disorders
988 Info
The 988 Mental Health Lifeline operates 24/7 and offers services for mental health crisis. Operators are licensed and certified health crisis specialists who answer calls, connect to and dispatch local services and mobile crisis teams.
Senate Bill 1307 has been approved to provide the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number on student identification cards.School districts and charter schools are now required to print the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 988 on student ID cards for 7th graders and up.
Mental Health Safety Planning
We have safety plans in the event of a fire, tornado, inclement weather so why not create a Mental Health Safety Plan?
A mental health safety plan can help families formulate coping strategies for situations that cause children and teens increased stress and anxiety, as well as identify potential red flags that signal a need to seek professional help.
Project Aware Team
Project AWARE Manager
Danna Bross is the Project AWARE Manager. She has been working for Lawton Public Schools since 1993 as an English teacher, Activities Director and high school counselor. Bross majored in English/Psychology and has M.Ed in counseling. I enjoy working with all ages of students and feel fortunate to have a job that allows me to do this. Project AWARE is a platform that provides mental services to our students. This initiative is vital to addressing the needs of our students’ mental health to ensure success in their lives and education.
MSBS
Kayla Johnson has a passion to help and serve others. Johnson is from Lawton, Oklahoma. She received her bachelor's degree at Oklahoma Baptist University in Psychology pre-Counseling with a minor in education and her masters degree from Cameron University in Masters Sciences Behavioral Sciences with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. She enjoys getting to know others, learning new things, and helping others during trying times. It is important for Johnson that people have a way to express their feelings in a safe environment to where they feel truly heard. Johnson loves being able to give back to the community that she grew up in and share different ways to help others truly see that they can overcome many obstacles thrown their way.
LMSW
Laura Johnson is a Licensed Master Social Worker. Johnson is working towards her clinical license (LCSW), so she is currently under supervision. Johnson has been in the field of social work for the past 16 years working with children and families. Her undergraduate degree is in Psychology. This is her second year working with Project AWARE. She loves building relationships with students and providing them with support.
LMFT
Cassie Jones is a Licenced Marriage and Family Therapist Candidate working with Project AWARE. This is Jones' 19th year with Lawton Public Schools. She was a Special Education Teacher working in a self-contained class for students with Emotional Disturbance for 12 years, then moved to Central Middle School as a Co- Teacher for 2 years, she worked as a School Counselor at Eisenhower Elementary for 3 years while going back to school to get her Masters in Behavioral Sciences. Last year, she was an IEP Facilitator while fulfilling her Practicum requirements. Jones is thrilled to put her new degree to work as a Mental Health Professional with Project AWARE. She loves pairing her experience as an educator with her background in mental health, and enjoys seeing students learn and make progress on their personal goals.
LCSW
Carmela Rendina is a licensed clinical social worker (or licensed mental health professional) with Lawton Public Schools Project AWARE. Rendina received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Cameron University in Elementary Education and holds a current Oklahoma Certification in Elementary Education. Over the years she has worked in DODDS schools while living in Germany, and PreK in Brooklyn, NY and Lawton, OK and worked as a Teacher Assistant and teacher with LPS in the early to mid 1990’s. Her other work experiences were with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Rendina received a scholarship from OKDHS to attend The University of Oklahoma completing her Masters Degree in Social Work. She then moved on to a Psychiatric Hospital as a Therapist for about 10 years before coming back to LPS in 2022.
LMFT-Candidate
Victoria Zelbst is a military-child born and raised in southwest Oklahoma. She graduated from Lawton High School and she attended the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in History of Science. Upon relocating to Lawton, she fell in love with the classroom setting and she became certified in elementary education. Victoria taught for seven years in the classroom and inevitably, her students inspired her to finish her M.Ed. in Reading at Cameron University. She now serves on the Project AWARE team as the MTSS Specialist.