Support Services Blog
Celebrating Positive School Culture through the MTSS Film Festival
Schools across the district recently took part in a fun and creative initiative: the MTSS Film Festival, designed to engage students and staff in promoting positive behavior and reinforcing campus expectations. As part of the festival, participating schools submitted student-created videos that highlighted the values of respect, responsibility, and safety in everyday school life.
The submissions were not only entertaining and imaginative but also demonstrated how campus expectations can be taught and reinforced in meaningful, student-centered ways. This festival offered a unique opportunity to empower student voices while strengthening a positive school culture through the lens of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).
Winning schools were recognized and presented with awards to celebrate their outstanding work and commitment to fostering supportive learning environments. Much appreciation goes out to all the schools that participated, and to the students and staff who contributed their time, energy, and creativity. Your efforts are a testament to the power of collaboration, school spirit, and the shared goal of helping all students thrive.
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Copper Ridge: Most Creative Middle School Video  |
Desert Canyon Elementary: Most Educational Video  |
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Ingleside Middle: Best Middle School Video  |
Kiva Elementary: Best Community Video  |
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Navajo Elementary: Best Formatted Video  |
Pueblo Elementary: Most Positive Video  |
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Saguaro High School: Best High School Video  |
April Community Event
Eating Disorder Awareness Month took place in February, with National Eating Disorders Awareness Week February 24 - March 2. On April 24th, Support Services hosted “Stronger Together,” a community event focused on helping parents and teens understand, prevent, and address eating disorders. The event featured expert speaker Amy Kathleen Lee, who shared her personal experiences, practical strategies for early intervention, open communication, and building resilience.
Key topics included recognizing warning signs, promoting healthy relationships with food and body image, and how to seek professional help when needed. Attendees left empowered with tools to foster supportive environments at home and in the community.
Amy is an award-winning eating disorder recovery advocate, professional speaker, and youth suicide prevention trainer. She survived an 18-year battle with bulimia, suicide, trauma, and abuse, and lives with bipolar II disorder and PTSD. Amy brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her talks, offering a powerful, hope-filled reminder that healing is possible ‒ even after the darkest moments. With over a decade of experience in mental health education and suicide prevention, Amy’s story is raw, real, and deeply inspiring.
Because many people were unable to attend in person, we recorded the session.
Click here to view
We encourage everyone to take advantage of this resource ‒ early action and open conversations can make a real difference.
May Is Mental Health Awareness Month
Join us for a community presentation May 13th hosted by SUSD Support Services. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will deliver its “Ending the Silence” presentation designed for middle and high school students, school staff, and parents or guardians of middle or high school-aged youth. Audiences learn about the signs and symptoms of mental health conditions, how to recognize the early warning signs and the importance of acknowledging those warning signs. Please save the date, and we hope to see your families there!
Fentanyl Awareness Community Events
SUSD continues its prevention efforts through several fentanyl awareness community presentations with local prevention specialist Stephanie Siete, who educates audiences on the dangers of substance use and the importance of making safe, informed choices. Over the past several months, she has been invited to Mountainside, Desert Canyon and Tonalea Middle schools, and also spoke to Echo Canyon grades 6-8 students.
Students responded with strong engagement, asking thoughtful questions and participating actively in discussions. Many expressed that the presentation helped them better understand the real-life consequences of drug use and gave them tools to make informed decisions.
Rocket Takes on St. Louis
Our very own Crisis K-9, Rocket, traveled to St. Louis over spring break with Dr. Milissa Sackos and Scottsdale Police Department Officer Devon Lines to attend the Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS) conference. As the first school district in Maricopa County to assign a crisis response canine to a School Resource Officer, Dr. Sackos and Officer Lines were invited to present on the implementation of this program in SUSD. There, they were able to connect with some of today’s most active and influential thought leaders and researchers from around the world.
The conference, which focused on effective strategies for fostering positive behavior support in schools, provided a platform for sharing how crisis K-9s help de-escalate stressful situations and support students facing emotional challenges by contributing to a calming environment and enhancing student mental health. Attendees learned about best practices for implementing behavior support systems and the growing role of animal-assisted interventions in education.
Rocket was the star of the show! He looks forward to his next adventure as the face of SUSD.
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week
During National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW), held March 17th to 23rd, SUSD collaborated with Youth and Family Services to host informative lunchtime tabling events across each of our five high schools. These events aimed to dispel myths and provide students with accurate, science-based information about drug and alcohol use.
SUSD’s participation in NDAFW included setting up information tables during lunch periods, where students could engage with representatives from the city of Scottsdale’s Youth and Family Services agency and student representatives from the Scottsdale Youth Substance Abuse Coalition. These representatives shared resources, answered questions, and facilitated discussions to help students make informed decisions regarding substance use.
The Ayala family also set up a memorial table at Desert Mountain and Saguaro High schools to honor their son, Noah, and raise awareness. Through his story, they aim to educate others on the risks of fentanyl-laced substances and the importance of prevention, hoping to save lives and spark conversations about this growing crisis.
Our School Resource Officers set up mock Field Sobriety Tests at the events using impairment goggles. Students attempted to walk in a straight line while wearing the goggles, simulating impaired balance and coordination.
This collaboration reflects SUSD’s commitment to fostering a supportive environment that empowers students with the knowledge to make healthy choices. By partnering with Youth and Family Services, SUSD reinforced its dedication to student well-being and the promotion of safe, informed communities.
Upcoming Community Event
We continue to prioritize student well-being, encouraging families to work together in promoting both physical and mental health. On Thursday, April 24th we will offer a community event titled, “Stronger Together: How Parents & Teens Can Prevent and Overcome Eating Disorders.” The presenter, Amy Kathleen Lee, is an award-winning eating disorder recovery advocate, professional speaker, trained suicide hotline crisis counselor, certified online counseling and intervention specialist, and suicide prevention trainer. She specializes in youth mental health and addresses the root causes of the youth mental health crisis, not the symptoms. The presentation aims to educate families on recognizing, addressing, and preventing eating disorders while fostering open conversations at home. Be on the lookout for a Peachjar flyer in the coming days with event attendance information!
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week Collaboration
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW), March 17-23, is an annual event focused on the science of drug use and addiction that educates and empowers youth to make informed decisions about substance use and their health.
SUSD Support Services and the City of Scottsdale Youth and Family Services are partnering to bring substance use and misuse prevention activities and awareness initiatives to high school campuses. This collaboration aims to educate students, promote healthy choices, and provide resources to support their well-being. Stay tuned for upcoming events and opportunities to get involved.
SUSD 15th Annual Mental Health in the Schools Networking Event
Scottsdale Unified School District’s 15th Annual Mental Health in the Schools Networking Event is scheduled for Friday, March 7th. This open-house event is an opportunity for school administrators, psychologists, social workers, counselors, community specialists, and school nurses to connect with more than 40 organizations specializing in mental health, social services, prevention, and intervention. We are excited to continue this tradition and foster meaningful connections for the students and families we serve.
School Social Work Appreciation Week – March 2-8
During National School Social Work Appreciation Week, we honor and thank our incredible school social workers for their dedication, compassion, and unwavering support of our students and families. Your work makes a lasting impact, and we appreciate all that you do to create a positive supportive school community!
Escape the Vape Community Event
On January 27th at the Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West, Scottsdale Unified School District partnered with the Blue Zones Project Scottsdale for “Escape the Vape,” an informative community event about e-cigarettes and vaping.
Blue Zones shared information about its local initiative and provided healthy snacks and beverages. At the same time, local organizations ‒ notMYkid and the Scottsdale Elks Lodge ‒ had the opportunity to provide resources to attendees.
Shannon Cronn, Director of SUSD Support Services, and Lauren Pilato, SUSD Prevention Coach, facilitated a community training of “Catch My Breath,” the only school-based vaping prevention program proven to reduce the likelihood of vaping among youth.
We culminated the evening with an engaging and thought-provoking discussion which included panelists:
- Brian Hummell, AZ/NM Government Relations Director, co-chair BZPS Tobacco/Alcohol Policy Committee
- Dr. Suchitra Pilli, M.D., MPH, FCCP-Board certified in pulmonary, critical care and internal medicine
- Stephanie Siete, Education Consultant, respected speaker on drug prevention
- Sid Gupta, Desert Mountain sophomore, passionate about reducing tobacco use, working on drafting a Scottsdale city ordinance, and active in the Scottsdale Mayor’s Youth Council
- Jazlyn Sandhu, Desert Mountain senior, active in the Scottsdale Substance Abuse Coalition and the Scottsdale Mayor’s Youth Council.
February Is Healthy Relationship Awareness Month
Join SUSD Support Services on Thursday, February 27th, as we partner with Bloom365 for a powerful discussion and explore topics on teen dating abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of power and control-based violence. Please keep an eye out for more specific details regarding this community event.
Learning about Healthy Relationships is Key to Preventing Dating Violence
From the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office
It's easy to think that relationship violence isn't something that would happen to your family. Unfortunately, dating violence among teens and young adults is more prevalent than we think.
Approximately 1.5 million teens experience dating violence every year, with some experiencing abusive behaviors as young as 11 years old. Young women between the ages of 18 to 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence. Girls are more vulnerable to experiencing violence in their relationships and more likely to suffer long-term behavioral and health consequences.
Unlike adults, teens don't have the social or relationship experience to distinguish a healthy relationship from an abusive one. Teens are also more likely to experience digital dating abuse, including stalking or bullying via texting, messaging, or social media.
This school year, help make sure teens and young adults make smart choices and keep their mental health and well-being a priority in their new relationship. Educating teens about healthy relationships and making sure parents and guardians recognize the signs of abuse is key to preventing relationship violence. In a healthy relationship, both partners:
- Communicate openly with one another and practice active listening
- Trust each other and are honest
- Have equal power in the relationship
- Are independent and able to enjoy personal time without their partner
- Make decisions together
- Respect each other's boundaries
- Are accountable for their behavior and choices
Any behavior or action that contradicts a healthy relationship is a red flag that needs to be addressed. Like domestic violence, abuse in teen relationships escalates over time, especially if there are no consequences for the abuser. Investing time in conversations about healthy relationships early on is an investment in a future without violence. We can all play a part in helping prevent abuse and keeping teens and young adults safe.
If you think you are in a dangerous situation, trust your instincts and get help! Call or text Bloom365 at 888-606-HOPE(4673) or Teen Lifeline at 602-248-TEEN(8336).
Click on this link for the Healthy Relationships for Teens Toolkit from the Healthy Relationships Initiative. This may help in opening up these important conversations with teens.