Fresno school’s simple, low-cost program is a superb example of government that works

It was a pretty amazing admission to read, coming from a 14-year-old boy.

“There could’ve been a lot of things that could’ve happened, but Miss Lopez had prevented them,” said Efrain Salmeron Roneron, an eighth-grader at Yosemite Middle School in central Fresno. “I probably wouldn’t have been at school, but she had saved me.”

“She’s a hero,” he said.

He referred to Yesenia Lopez, a counseling paraprofessional who works in Yosemite Middle’s Bear Cave, the school’s social-emotional hub where students can go to get help by talking out their problems, be they at the campus or home.

Like most of my colleagues at The Bee, much of the information that comes across my desk every day is negative. So much is about politicians doing questionable things. Or COVID spreading fast — again. Then there is the latest poverty study and how Fresno remains one of the poorest places in America.

So when a glimmer of good news appears, it is refreshing. It is even better when that positive vibe involves one of today’s big issues — the mental health of young people.

The Bear Cave, based on Yosemite Middle’s mascot, is all positive and more.

Mental health needs

The Bear Cave began a dozen years ago because school staff recognized that their young people came to the campus each day with “a lot of trauma,” to quote Yosemite Middle Principal Nichole Horn. Those hurts stemmed from troubled home life, conflicts with other kids and just adjusting to being a teenager.

What the students needed was social-emotional support and development of coping skills. Ready to help them were the school psychologist, counseling assistants and social workers.

The Bear Cave started in a small classroom, then moved several years later into an unused shop. Today, the walls are covered in artwork done by students, photos and uplifting messages like “A person’s a person no matter how small.”

There are tables, but they are round, so those sitting at them face one another and have equal chances to share. Couches and upholstered chairs make it casual. Plants add to the relaxed atmosphere. There are games and crafts. The stigma of seeking mental health help is diminished.

The key idea is to get the students the help they need and avoid disciplinary action like a suspension, which separates them from their peers. Prior to the launch of the Bear Cave, Fresno Unified’s approach was to take students in trouble out of regular classes and put them into self-contained classrooms.

The Bear Cave is open to all students. Some get referred, others drop in. On average, 20 to 45 students drop by each day during lunch. Besides working with students one on one, staff conduct conflict resolution between students for things like getting into fights. About one such resolution session occurs every day.

Showing care

The Bear Cave did not require a million-dollar grant to open. Staff used existing resources at the school, and parent and staff donations provided the furniture, games and crafts.

Today Fresno Unified has other social-emotional hubs. Calwa Elementary has its Eagles Nest, and Wolter Elementary has the Wildcat Den. The high schools have “re-engagement centers.”

But Fresno Unified administrators told Julianna Morano of The Bee’s Education Lab that the Bear Cave is distinct because the same staff members have continued to work there year after year.

It was that continuity that led Lopez to Roneron. She knew of him because she had helped his older brother.

“It all comes down to relationships, and allowing the kids to know that you care,” she told Morano. “That’s what I’ve learned. Because once they know that, it changes everything.”