25 SCHOOLS AROUND THE COUNTRY RECOGNIZED BY ERIKA'S LIGHTHOUSE FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION

Schools that received a Peggy Kubert Model School in Mental Health in Excellence award are making a substantial impact in universal mental health programming in their school-wide community.

WINNETKA, Ill., Sept. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Erika's Lighthouse, a non-profit organization that provides free, high-quality depression education and suicide prevention curriculum in schools, announced that 25 schools in 14 states received the 2025 Peggy Kubert Model School in Mental Health Excellence award. The award recognizes schools for demonstrating a commitment to promoting mental well-being through universal, Tier-1 programming. A total of 14 schools in the United States and Mozambique also received the Four Pillar School award, which recognizes schools that successfully implement programs across all four pillars of the Erika's Lighthouse curriculum.

Erika's Lighthouse believes that every student should have the knowledge and tools they need to care for their mental health. The organization provides high-quality, comprehensive depression education and suicide prevention curriculum to school districts across the country, at zero cost. In the 2024-2025 school year, more than one million students across 49 states and 26 countries were impacted by Erika's Lighthouse programming. After the program, 91% of students said that they have the information and ability to take care of their own mental health.

A Peggy Kubert Model School excels at Tier-1 mental health programming by working within an effective multi-tiered system of support and strives to create an inclusive school culture for students, staff, and families. To be considered, schools must complete the Erika's Lighthouse Tier-1 Mental Health Assessment, which evaluates their implementation of programs and resources across seven key sections: Foundational Core, Classroom Education, Student Empowerment, Family Engagement, Policy & Staff Development, Schoolwide Campaigns, and Data-driven Practices.

Schools that qualify have indicated they are leveraging the full suite of Erika's Lighthouse programs or are using other programs and resources that fit their community. Recipients of the 2025 Peggy Kubert Model School award include:

• Carmela Elementary School – Whittier, Calif.
• Caverna High School – Horse Cave, Ky.
• Crestview High School – Columbiana, Ohio
• Delcastle Technical High School – Wilmington, Del.
• Hodgson Vocational Technical High School – Newark, Del.
• Howard High School of Technology – Wilmington, Del.
• J F Kennedy Middle School – Natick, Mass.
• Kilby Shores Elementary School – Suffolk, Va.
• Lakewood Middle School – Hebron, Ohio
• Livermore High School – Livermore, Calif.
• Maplewood High School – Cortland, Ohio
• Metcalfe County Middle School – Edmonton, Ky.
• Newark Vocational High School – Newark, N.J.
• Norwood Elementary School – Miami, Fla.
• Orchard Park Middle School – Orchard Park, N.Y.
• Penn (William) High School – New Castle, Del.
• Prescott Elementary School – Chicago, Ill.
• Robert Turner College And Career High School – Pearland, Texas
• St. Georges Technical High School – Middletown, Del.
• Swanton Middle School – Swanton, Ohio
• Technical Senior High School – St. Cloud, Minn.
• The Bayard School – Wilmington, Del.
• Tippecanoe Middle School – Tipp City, Ohio
• Walatowa High Charter – Jemez Pueblo, N.M.
• Wilson Middle School – Natick, Mass.

The Four Pillar School award recognizes schools that have successfully followed the Four Pillar Model by implementing programs across education, student-leadership, family engagement, and staff training. Recipients of the 2025 Four Pillar School award include:

• American International School of Mozambique – Maputo, Mozambique
• Caravel Middle School – Carmel, Maine
• Flandreau Indian Boarding School – Flandreau, S.D.
• John Yeates Middle School – Suffolk, Va.
• King's Fork Middle School – Suffolk, Va.
• Lennox Middle School – Lennox, Calif.
• Mt. Vernon Township H.S. – Mount Vernon, Ill.
• Neenah Joint School District – Neenah, Wis.
• Oakwood Junior High School – Dayton, Ohio
• Orchard View Schools – Muskegon, Mich.
• Quitman High School – Quitman, Texas
• Rose Bud Elementary School – Rose Bud, Ark.
• Sussex Academy – Georgetown, Del.
• Toledo School For The Arts – Toledo, Ohio

More information about the honorees, including honorable mentions, and how a school can apply for this recognition, is available at: https://erikaslighthouse.org/peggy-kubert-model-schools/.

Every school can become a Peggy Kubert Model School in Mental Health Excellence by leveraging the full suite of Erika's Lighthouse programs or identifying other programs and resources that are a fit for their community. Educators can bring Erika's Lighthouse programming to their school by creating an account at www.erikaslighthouse.org/portal and they will gain immediate access to a suite of programs that promote inclusive school cultures around mental health. Once logged in, educators will have access to materials for Classroom Education grades 4-12, Empowerment Clubs, Family Engagement, and Policy and Staff Development resources.

About Erika's Lighthouse
Erika's Lighthouse is a non-profit organization that believes every student should have the knowledge and tools to care for their mental health. The organization provides free, high-quality depression education and suicide prevention curriculum to school districts across the country that follows a Four Pillar Philosophy, including classroom education, empowerment clubs, family engagement, and policy and staff training. In the 2024-25 school year, programming from Erika's Lighthouse directly impacted more than one million students. More information is available at https://erikaslighthouse.org/.

For media inquiries, please contact Joshua Taustein at [email protected].

SOURCE Erika's Lighthouse