Article written by Ainsley Hall and published in The Journal on October 23, 2026, link to article HERE.
INWOOD — Musselman High School Drug Free WV Youth Coalition stepped up to raise awareness for mental health for it’s You Matter campaign by leaving notes on people’s cars. For several years the group has left letters for people to celebrate World Kindness Day, but this year they wanted to do something focusing on suicide prevention. For the last two years they’ve done a #YouMatter activity during lunch where they made a big poster where students can write notes. After brainstorming, this year they decided to tie World Kindness Day and the You Matter campaign together.
Layla McCutcheon, Faith McDonald, Natalie Powell and Hannah Dellapenta were just four of the students who worked on the project. Their goal was to reach as many people as possible by writing notes and leaving them on cars parked throughout campus. Each card had a special note as well as resources for people who might be struggling with their mental health.
“I think it’s important because as teenagers we go through a lot, and you don’t know what other people are going through,” McDonald said. “People could be going through their own struggles with suicide. I think it’s really important for us to highlight that, to show everybody that they’re not alone and that you actually do matter and there’s help available.”
“I also think that there’s just such a stigma behind mental health,” Dellapenta added. “People don’t feel comfortable talking about the problems they’re facing. Just a small, little reminder could change someone’s mind or make their day.”
McDonald was the one who designed the cards. While she was working on them, she asked herself what she would want to hear after a long day or if she was struggling. She came up with several designs with messages reminding people that they are seen and someone cares. After making the designs in Canva, they printed them out and worked together to pass them out. McCutcheon said that she saw some people share their cards on social media, spreading the message even beyond the school.
As the school’s Drug Free WV Youth Coalition, it’s a part of their mission to promote a healthy lifestyle, which includes teaching students to take care of themselves. Coalition Advisor Diana Anthony explained that when it comes to using substances, mental health often plays a big role.
“I think from our standpoint we wanted to focus on the overall well-being of our student body,” Anthony said. “And oftentimes mental health plays a role in people that use substances, whether they’re using it to try and self-medicate or escape from reality for a little bit or whatever’s going on. Mental health and substance abuse often go hand-in-hand, and so you almost must address them both.”
The girls hope seeing the notes will bring more attention to the coalition and hopefully make people interested in joining so they can continue making a difference in their community. McDonald even talked about working with other groups to reach even more people in the future. They also hope that people know that even though they don’t know each person individually, they aren’t alone and there are people out there that care for them.
“There are so many of us at this school that someone has to be going through something similar or has gone through something similar,” Powell said. “Help is out there for everyone. There is always someone who can help.”
Anthony added that hearing this message from other students can also have a bigger impact than hearing it from a teacher. They are more likely to listen and take the message to heart. It also shows students that they have a voice.
“It’s not only having kids relate to kids, but it’s also showing our youth and our youth leaders that their voice matters,” Anthony said. “There is benefits to speaking up and standing up and showing what you’re passionate about and what you care for. You never know how far your reach is going to go.”