Six Districts and Seven Universities Recognized by Kognito for Outstanding Leadership in Promoting Mental Health Literacy

NEW YORK, September 24, 2019 — Kognito, a leading health simulation technology company, is recognizing the work of 13 school districts and institutions across K-12 and higher education who have demonstrated unwavering commitment to supporting student mental health.

The inaugural 2019 Kognito Education Awards recognize unique approaches in promoting mental health literacy. Rising stress, anxiety, and depression among young people have prompted administrators to proactively train educators, staff, and students on how to support at-risk students and motivate them to seek treatment services.

The awardees who were recognized for their efforts in the 2018-2019 school year are as follows:

K-12 Awards

• Excellence in District Mental Health Literacy – Recognizes a school district that has worked tirelessly to support student mental health during the 2018-2019 academic year.
  • Awarded to Fort Bend Independent School District in Sugar Land, Texas
    
• Excellence in District Mental Health Literacy – Recognizes a school district that has worked tirelessly to support student mental health during the 2018-2019 academic year.
  • Awarded to Johnston Community School District in Johnston, Iowa
• Excellence in School Mental Health Literacy – Recognizes an individual school that has worked tirelessly to support student mental health during the 2018-2019 academic year.
  • Awarded to Good Shepherd Services Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, New York
• Implementation Innovator – Recognizes a school or district that has gone outside of the box in their approach to training their teachers and staff.
  • Awarded to Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services in San Jose, California
• Excellence in Mental Health Advocacy: District Leadership – Recognizes a district leader who has gone above and beyond to support and advocate for mental health initiatives at their school.
  • Awarded to Perry Blankenship, McDowell County Schools in Marion, North Carolina
• Excellence in Mental Health Advocacy: Staff – Recognizes a staff member who has gone above and beyond to support and advocate for mental health initiatives at their school.
  • Awarded to Edie Binns, Round Rock Independent School District in Round Rock, Texas
• Excellence in Mental Health Advocacy: Teachers – Recognizes an educator who has gone above and beyond to support and advocate for mental health initiatives at their school.
  • Awarded to Chris Bair, Benjamin Logan High School in Bellefontaine, Ohio

Higher Education Awards

• Campus Leader in Mental Health Literacy – Recognizes institutions that have worked tirelessly to support student mental health during the 2018-2019 academic year.
  • Awarded to the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio
• Campus Leader in Mental Health Literacy – Recognizes institutions that have worked tirelessly to support student mental health during the 2018-2019 academic year.
  • Awarded to Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey
• Campus Leader in Mental Health Literacy – Recognizes institutions that have worked tirelessly to support student mental health during the 2018-2019 academic year.
  • Awarded to Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pennsylvania
• Excellence in First-Year Implementation – Recognizes institutions that have strategically focused their mental health initiatives on incoming students.
  • Awarded to Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Implementation Innovator – Recognizes institutions that have gone outside of the box in their approach to training on campus.
  • Awarded to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
• Rising Star – Recognizes institutions that might be at the beginning of their journey yet have demonstrated great promise in their ability to support student wellness.
  • Awarded to Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas
• Student Leader in Mental Health Literacy – Awarding a student who has gone above and beyond to advocate and advance mental health initiatives at their school.
  • Awarded to  Antonina Schubert, Kent State University in Kent, Ohio
• Changemaker in Mental Health Literacy – Awarding a faculty or staff member who has gone above and beyond to support and advocate for mental health initiatives at their school.
  • Awarded to Dr. Deric Kenne, Kent State University in Kent, Ohio
• Gatekeeper In Action – Awarding a faculty member, staff member, or student who has applied the mental health literacy skills they’ve acquired in real life to support a student in distress.
  • Awarded to Alejandra Salemi, the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida

“All of our award nominees in these categories were exceptional. We are so proud of these districts and universities for their dedication and hard work to engage an exceptional number of people in mental health training for school staff,” said Brian Nido, Director of Client Success at Kognito. “As we honor their efforts to impact their communities we hope that other schools can learn from their example and think about how they too can implement Kognito training. Together we share the same goal, to continue to grow the reach of educators, staff, and students who feel confident and prepared to have conversations about mental health.”

Kognito announced the winners in a webinar. The full presentation can be accessed here.

About Kognito

Kognito is a health simulation company whose evidence-based simulations harness the power of role-play conversations with virtual humans to improve social, emotional, and physical health. Learn more at kognito.com.