Lauren Rowe’s art room at West Mifflin Area High School is more than just a place for drawing and painting; it serves as a safe space for students to talk openly about their mental health struggles.
A lifelong resident of West Mifflin and educator for 17 years, Rowe has witnessed firsthand the evolving social dynamics and challenges teenagers face daily. Now as the faculty sponsor for the SAVE Promise Club, she is helping to train students to make their school a safer place.
“Teens are in charge of a lot more than people know,” Rowe said. “I always say they are my boots on the ground. … They’re the ones seeing the behaviors in the bathrooms, the hallways, the stairwell.”
Rowe works in a community in which around half of high school students have reported feelings of hopelessness, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC researchers revealed in September. Similar numbers were also reported in eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh, according to the survey administered in 2018.