My friend Jen, who writes a wonderful blog called More Than Words about her family and their struggles with mental health conditions.  Jen and her daughters were one third of an ABC 20/20 story last year about childhood onset mental illness:


Jen posted on her Facebook page today that she had a great conversation with Mr. Brian Kersten, Principal of Waunakee High School, who’s dance team performed the dance many of us have been writing about.  


Jen says, ” Just got off the phone with the Waunakee High School Principal – they are working with NAMI Wisconsin to create a mental health awareness campaign and outreach in their school, and they’re going to use part of our 20/20 story to help illustrate. Hopefully we’ve turned a negative into a positive and give kids the courage to step forward and get help.  He actually was really receptive, and said he has learned so much, and has worked really hard to reach out to everyone who has contacted him, and has learned a lot about his own student body that he didn’t realize. I think this has changed their school for the better.”


If you’ve heard form Principal Kersten, please comment.  


This is great news, and so wonderful that this negative can be turned into something positive for the entire student body and staff.  


But we’re only half done.  This story would never have gotten the national press it got if Rick Chandler from NBC Sports hadn’t opened his predjudiced, uneducated mouth.  Please – keep contacting NBC.  My hope is NBC will respond in a similar manner as Principal Kersten has.