Whether it’s dressing up as bananas, or handing out small tokens of appreciation, a small but ambitious group of Iola Middle School students share the same message to their classmates — we’ve got your back.
The students — four each from grades 6, 7 and 8 — are members of Aevidum, a student-led organization dedicated to erasing the stigma of dealing with mental health issues, and to promote suicide prevention.
They do so with projects large and small, starting with greeting the incoming sixth-graders on the first day of school with messages of support.
Since then, they’ve led several Red Ribbon Week efforts touting the importance of a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle — another topic Aevidum has taken on locally — and given out small toy animals to teachers with positive messages.
“Our emotional support animals,” chuckles Stacey Crusinbery, a school counselor and advisor for the Aevidum students.
Aevidum — derived from the Latin phrase, “we’ve got your back,” will keep club members busy through the rest of the school year.
They have several activities planned for Mental Health Awareness Week in the spring, and will hand out hot cocoa when classes resume in January after the Christmas break.
It’s usually an Aevidum member who also helps serve as the middle school’s welcome wagon for new students, giving them tours around campus, and offering somebody to eat with at lunch.
“I love getting to help the new students and interact with them,” said seventh-grader Finley Nelson, whose outgoing personality carries another motive. “Maybe I’ll get to become their best friend first,” she laughed.
The results have been encouraging.
“I’ve definitely noticed in the last few years there’s been less of a stigma about students asking for help,” Crusinbery said. “Students are more willing to let us know when they’re struggling. It’s definitely the first step to building more connections with those who need help.”
THAT OUTCOME was part of the rationale for Aevidum’s most visible campaign of the school year — the Banana project, where members donned banana costumes, without explanation, during Mental Health Awareness Week.
Despite the conspicuous get-up, the bananas declined to explain why they were in such costumes.
“We’d just give silly answers — ‘because they’re a-peeling’ — things like that,” Aevidum member Jim Olson explained.
It wasn’t until the end of the week that the bananas explained the reason for the get-up — mental health issues like depression are not as obvious in a crowd as a person wearing a banana costume.
STUDENTS who apply to join Aevidum are asked to give a lengthier commitment than for other clubs.
The seventh- and eighth-graders greet the sixth-grade students at the start of the school year, to explain the group, and what they hope to accomplish before seeking applicants to fill one of four slots.
“We’ll ask them questions like how they deal with stress, and why they want to be a part of this,” Crusinbery explained. “And I like to keep the group kind of small, but still have enough people to handle the work.”
If successful, the new members are asked to remain a part of Aevidum through eighth grade.
The goal is to have a healthy mix of personalities, Crusinbery said.
“Our seventh-graders are pretty comfortable talking to others, but we also want to have some quiet types, thoughtful kids, ones who may be more creative.”
Participation also has led to other ancillary benefits, such as getting comfortable with public speaking. To wit, Aevidum students last year approached Iola Public Library members with a proposal to strengthen its no-smoking policies.
As evidence, they counted discarded cigarette butts as they walked to the library from the middle school. (They found more than 100.)
Still today, Olson keeps a private count of discarded cigarette butts he finds around town.
“If I see one, I’ll add another number to it,” he said. “I have no idea why I remember the number, but it’s 214.”
CRUSINBERY visits with teachers through the school year to ensure the Aevidum members can handle the added responsibilities without losing focus on their studies.
“If they do have to miss class from time to time, we want students who can get caught back up without struggling,” she said.
“It’s a balance,” Olson said. “I might be missing a class, but it feels great knowing I might be helping another student.”
Crusinbery notes the local chapter has plenty of tools to raise awareness, but they are not trained mediators.
“We’re focused more on promoting awareness and good mental health, and promoting a positive environment,” she said.
There’s plenty to enjoy for the members.
“It’s been a lot of fun just getting to go out into the community,” said Mollie Duvall.
“I really didn’t expect us to be this active,” seventh-grader Winston Jordan said.
REDUCING anxiety, and tackling antipathy toward school, has been a tough nut to crack, Crusinbery noted.
That’s nothing new.
“But I’m noticing more and more students don’t like coming to school,” she said, “Sometimes, it’s even the good students. We’re always looking for ideas.”
WHILE many of the projects have been developed by the National Aevidum organization, such as the banana costumes, the students themselves have come up with some ideas of their own.
Last spring, outgoing eighth-grader Piper Jordan — Winston’s older sister — penned and directed a short video depicting a scenario in which a middle-school student struggles with peer pressure related to an invitation to an alcohol party.
The tone was light-hearted, even though the subject matter was not.
Many projects are centered on lunch-time activities, like hosting trivia games, adding light-hearted music during the meals, and even switching out where students sat to eat, to encourage them to make new friends.
“To make it less awkward, we put questions at the tables for them to discuss.”
Student reactions were mixed, she acknowledged, leading her to wonder if they’ll repeat the effort.
“Some students loved it,” Crusinbery said. “Others said it caused too much anxiety. It’s always good to get out of your comfort zone sometimes, but we don’t want to traumatize anybody.”
AEVIDUM members for the 2025-26 school year are:
Eighth grade — Selby Blankenship, Corbin Coffield, Bradley Cooper and Leanna Flory;
Seventh grade — Mollie Duvall, Winston Jordan, Finley Nelson and Jim Olson;
Sixth grade — Cambry Ashmore, Oliver Duvall, Paisyn Murphy and Emma Wilson.
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