North Carolina District Makes a Huge Splash with Alongside
Kiwi the Llama is billboard-famous in Fayetteville, NC. On February 15, Cumberland County Schools hosted a press conference to kick off the launch of Alongside in its district. This came after a period of testing the mental health support app with students to evaluate its potential impact, as well as getting approval and buy-in from parents and school staff across the district.
After completing their testing and making the decision to roll out Alongside on a larger scale, the district documented feedback from students, parents, and school leaders. Check out the videos below to hear what all of these stakeholders had to say.
Student Stories
In the first video, high school student Amber Johnson shares how the app can help students who don’t feel comfortable talking directly to an adult about issues they are facing. Next in the playlist, Amber’s peer at another district high school, Jessica Fikes, talks about how the app helps her process feelings that she doesn’t feel comfortable opening up about to others, as well as how the app’s goal-setting feature helps her stay organized and motivated. And finally, student Kenneth Hoggard also shares some powerful words about how helpful the app can be for kids who are struggling.
Parent Voices
In this playlist, Jessica’s mom, Njeri Fikes, addresses the types of concerns and skepticism that parents might have about a solution like Alongside. Next, Kenneth’s mom, Angel Walters, notes that she feels the resources inside the app, such as the videos and journal prompts, will be especially helpful for diverse learners. Then In the last video, school board chairwoman Deanna Jones speaks as both a parent and board representative. She invokes the idea that “it takes a village to raise a child” and sees the app as one more support that can fill gaps and give students another channel through which they can access help.
School Leader Perspectives
In this final playlist, Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly does his part to get students and families excited about Alongside. Next, associate superintendent Dr. Melody Chalmers-McClain points out how the app is one of many student support tools in the district’s toolkit. And finally, principal Scott Pope demonstrates how school-level leaders play a key role in driving usage of this new tool. He is especially enthusiastic about the way Alongside can be used any time of day so that students have support when they are not in school and may need it most.
Media Buzz
Local news media have taken note of Cumberland County’s innovative initiative. Here are some top headlines:
- Cumberland County Schools' new app Alongside provides mental health support to students (ABC 11 News)
- Artificial intelligence chatbot could help NC students with mental health support (WRAL News)
- Cumberland County Schools' app provides youth mental health support (WTVD)
- A new era of mental health support in Cumberland County Schools (Spectrum News 1)
- Cumberland schools roll out AI chatbot for kids’ sliding mental health. It can only help. (Fayetteville Observer)
What’s Next
Cumberland County Schools is working closely with the team at Alongside to ensure a successful rollout this Spring, followed by a student re-engagement campaign next Fall. As students begin to interact with the app, school administrators will be keeping an eye on aggregated usage data that offers insight into what issues are on students’ minds, along with receiving alerts about any signs of crisis, such as abuse or harm to self or others. Meanwhile, Kiwi the Llama will be there for students as a tool to help them build resilience and cope with difficulties, and teachers across the district will be reminding students to #TalktotheLlama 🦙
