On March 12, members if Parkway North’s Psi Alpha/Mental Health club used chalk to decorate the North campus sidewalks to share motivation and spread positivity around the school campus. 

“Doing the sidewalk chalk really uplifted everyone’s spirits. The entire time we were out there everyone was smiling, laughing, and joking,” said Jaiden Casely-Hayfore, vice-president of the Psi Alpha club. “It was a really good way to start off spring break.

Students wrote messages of encourage and created happy, spring time images so other students would see the messages and images while leaving school.

“I feel like the chalk art helps the students drawing and also students who will read it,” senior Athena DeKinder said. “It was a very calming and therapeutic activity.”

Psi Alpha is an international honors society for high school students interested in majoring or minoring in psychology. This extracurricular merged with the mental health club, allowing students to learn while also focusing on improving mental health. 

“Psi Alpha enhances our understanding of psychology and by partnering with the mental health club, we are able to do activities around the school that help students who might be struggling,” senior Eva Jansen said.

The way they do this is by providing opportunities for hands-on learning and connecting with their environment. 

“Individuals who are very passionate about mental health or the general field of psychology are offered a sort of tribe through the Psi Alpha club,” history and psychology teacher Melody Barger said. “There’s opportunities like being able to give back to the community, learning about psychology, and learning about yourself.”

North’s Psi Alpha club strives to focus on providing more awareness on mental health and general wellness within the North High community. This is one of the reasons they chose to create the messages on the sidewalk.

“I know that Mr. Jones, especially, is very passionate about Northside Pride and [Psi Alpha] provides a proud place for students to take care of each other,” Barger said. 

Many students are driven to participate in various Psi Alpha activities. Whether the club is painting rocks and pumpkins or spreading motivating messages on the sidewalks, Psi Alpha tries to provide a place for students to connect and other each other emotionally.