Student athletes from Worcester County high schools will get the chance to attend a presentation on the importance of physical and mental health on Aug. 22.
A marketing flyer distributed with information on a presentation on mental health for student athletes is pictured.
Courtesy image
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
Student athletes from Worcester County Public Schools, Worcester Preparatory School and Seaside Christian High School will get the chance to attend a presentation on the importance of physical and mental health next Thursday, Aug. 22.
The event, which will take place in the Stephen Decatur High School auditorium from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., will feature JoAnne Bullard.
SDHS social worker Wendy Shirk said Bullard is a doctor of sport and performance psychology, a certified mental health performance consultant, a mindful sport performance enhancement instructor, and a mental health advisory board member for the National Collegiate Athletics Association.
“This year, we are planning to increase the work of our Morgan’s Message campus chapter at SDHS, and one of the initiatives is to hold some presentations for student-athletes, coaches, and parents regarding the mental and physical health connection,” Shirk said.
Morgan’s Message is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that strives to “eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health within athletics.”
“We aim to expand the dialogue on mental health by normalizing conversations, empowering those who suffer in silence, and supporting those who feel alone,” the national group’s website reads.
The activist organization is named after Morgan, a student-athlete recruited to play Division I lacrosse at Duke University. The website explains that during her senior year of high school, Morgan experienced immense anxiety but received professional help that “proved beneficial at the time” and was optimistic about her future as a Blue Devil.
In January 2017, before her sophomore lacrosse season, the website explains that the athlete endured a severe knee injury that affected her ability on the field. As a result, her self-worth “plummeted,” and on July 11, 2019, at the age of 22, Morgan died by suicide.
Morgan’s Message and chapters nationwide, like SDHS, are now dedicated to fostering a positive community that encourages mental health intervention.
Shirk said the group received grants from the Worcester County Health Department and True You Maryland, a group striving to advance sexual health and youth well-being across Allegany, Washington, Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties.
The SDHS chapter of Morgan’s Message describes Bullard’s lecture as a “valuable presentation for Worcester County Public High School, Worcester Prep and Seaside Christian student-athletes and coaches, bringing awareness to athlete burnout, mental exhaustion, and performance anxiety.”
Shirk said the Thursday, Aug. 22 presentation is the first of similar events to “kickstart” the 2024-2025 academic year.