Twice a month George County students enter their advisory for a newly required program called social and emotional learning (SEL).

   SEL is all about helping students with their social and emotional needs implemented by the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE). Students watch a video on a specific topic and answer a form on it. Some of the past topics are responsibility and self care. 

   Even though MDE implemented this program, the high school’s counselors, Allyson Howard, Tracy Churchwell and Barbara Thompson, still think it is very important for students’ social and emotional needs. Not only does it help with various skills like coping mechanisms, it can also help academically.   

   “So academic success is linked to your social and emotional behavior,” Churchwell said.

   Junior Owen Hysell enjoys SEL and thinks it is helpful.

   “I truly believe this is very beneficial to the students of George County,” Hysell said. 

   SEL also helps improve his mental health by learning from other people’s experiences.  

   He enjoys sharing with his classmates things that have happened to him.

   Although it is mandatory to collect data from students, our counselors would rather do it a different way if it was up to them.

    “We’re here to help students not just fill out papers and meet requirements, that’s the ultimate goal of SEL,” Churchwell said.