The Nelson County Community Impact Council on Youth Mental Health was formed in July 2025, and through that group, I was introduced to The Yellow Tulip Project. Over the following months, we met every three weeks to discuss ways to bring awareness, hope, and support to youth in our community.
As a Family Resource Youth Service Center Coordinator serving preschool, elementary, and middle school students, I see firsthand the impact mental health has on children and families. From the beginning, I felt that The Yellow Tulip Project could be a meaningful and positive addition to our schools.
Last fall, I had the opportunity to bring together our 4th and 5th-grade students to create a Yellow Tulip Garden at the elementary school. Watching students take part in something that promotes hope, kindness, and mental health awareness was incredibly rewarding. That garden became the beginning of The Yellow Tulip Project within our schools.
The council created a county-wide Yellow Tulip Week for Nelson County, and I was excited to bring that same focus on hope and mental health awareness to our elementary and middle schools.
At the elementary school, I partnered with our guidance counselor to incorporate information about The Yellow Tulip Project into the school’s “Nest & Connect” morning lessons. These lessons focus on social and emotional learning throughout the school year, making them a natural place to introduce conversations about hope, mental health awareness, and growth- mindset strategies.
In addition to the lessons, I planned several Yellow Tulip Project activities for students. Every student in kindergarten through fifth grade was given a paper circle to write or draw what gives them hope. I collected these circles and created an indoor “Hope Garden” display filled with yellow tulip drawings and messages of encouragement from students across the school.
Students also completed hands-on projects connected to the theme of hope. Kindergarten through second-grade students created simple yellow tulip crafts as a visual reminder that hope is always possible. Third through fifth-grade students completed origami yellow tulip projects, giving older students an opportunity to engage creatively with the message as well.
The Nelson County Community Impact Council generously purchased Yellow Tulip Project stickers for all students, which were distributed throughout the week. In addition, our second and third-grade students painted rocks with hopeful, encouraging messages that were displayed in front of the school during Yellow Tulip Week. These colorful displays helped spread positivity and served as a reminder to students, staff, and families that hope can make a difference.
At the middle school, I partnered with our guidance counselor and assistant principal to introduce The Yellow Tulip Project during Care & Connect lessons, which are similar to the Nest & Connect program at the elementary school. Together, we wanted to create meaningful opportunities for students to learn about mental health awareness, hope, and supporting one another.
A few weeks before Yellow Tulip Week, I worked closely with my FRYSC Leadership Group to create a video explaining The Yellow Tulip Project, the meaning of stigma, and ways students can share hope with others. The video was shared during Monday’s Care & Connect lesson to help kick off the week.
Throughout the rest of the week, leadership students shared daily hope messages during the morning announcements, allowing us to reach the entire school with positive and encouraging reminders. Two mornings during the week, I also set up a Yellow Tulip Project table where we handed out stickers provided by the council, along with encouragement pens and yellow bracelets.
To encourage student involvement, I created a lunch-time activity where students wrote what gives them hope on small yellow tulip cutouts. These messages were then added to a “Hope Garden” displayed in the cafeteria, creating a visual reminder of encouragement and connection throughout the school.
To close out Yellow Tulip Week, students and staff were invited to wear yellow on Friday in support of mental health awareness and hope. It was wonderful to see so many participate and come together to support such an important message.
This has been such a rewarding experience, both personally and professionally. Seeing students engage in conversations about hope, kindness, and mental health awareness has been incredibly meaningful. I am excited to see The Yellow Tulip Project continue to grow within our schools and make a positive impact on even more students in the years to come.
