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My Favorite Teacher | Mercer County teacher goes beyond the classroom to keep kids safe

In addition to getting kids excited to learn, 6th-grade teacher Megan Ullrick is helping students with mental health conditions get the help they need.

ALEDO, Ill. — Each year News 8 receives nominations from students throughout eastern Iowa and western Illinois who want to recognize "My Favorite Teacher."  We feature five outstanding educators each year.

Megan Ullrick is a social studies teacher at Mercer County Junior High School in Aledo, Illinois. She is being recognized as a favorite teacher by one of her students, Macy Freeman. 

"[Ullrick] makes all of her students feel welcomed to our school... I'm in sixth grade, which means it's my first year in junior high," Freeman said.

Sixth grade brought a lot of firsts for Macy, including a new school and a whole new set of teachers.

"Sometimes it can be a little scary moving into a new school," Freeman said. "Even at the beginning of the first day, [Ullrick] welcomed us and really made us feel like we were her friends and we are family to her."

Freeman explained that Ullrick takes the time to make learning about history fun.

"We do lots of reader theaters," Freeman said. "We get to act out our part and pretend we are part of the past". 

But it's not just her work in the classroom that Freeman recognized. Ullrick is also one of three advisors for the school's Hope Squad. The group is made up of about two dozen students nominated by their peers who work to be the eyes and ears of the school. When a student may be having a bad day or is going through a crisis, Hope Squad members then alert the group advisors to get those students the help they need.

"We've had a high suicide rate and different things that have happened in our school district so this is the way we decided to respond," Ullrick said. "We've seen students being able to talk openly with one another. We've seen students be able to reach out, make connections with students who may not have originally looked for help." 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rates of suicide attempts and deaths among children have increased in the U.S. over the past decade, and suicide is now the eighth leading cause of death in children age 5–11. according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Having access to proper resources is key. Mercer County Junior High School is taking a hands on approach to tackle mental health conditions in schools. 

"If students feel like they're in crisis emotionally and mentally, they reach out to those students and those students help us identify them, and how we can get them resources in our community to help them with their needs," Ullrick said.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help. You can call or text '988' 24/7. Their team is trained to connect you with resources to get you or your loved one help.

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