Mental Wellness at Pius XI

Your mental health matters at Pius XI.

From athletics and extracurriculars, including our student-led REDgen Club, to on-site professional services and community partnerships, Pius XI provides a wide array of opportunities and services to support the mental health and well-being of the students, staff and families in our community.

REDgen: Resilience through EDucation for a new generation

Pius XI was an early adopter of REDgen School, a peer-to-peer resilience program designed to educate and empower student leaders to raise resiliency within their school community through connection, reflection and conversation. Our REDgen Club has since grown to be one of the largest and most active school chapters, working to increase awareness and normalize discussions around mental health needs through events and advocacy efforts, including the powerful student-led, all-school Mental Health Awareness Assembly held in conjunction with mental health awareness month. The Club meets weekly and follows the monthly curriculum provided by REDgen. Contact Club moderators Suzanne Lovinus and Jasmin Hartmann for more information.

Children’s Wisconsin: School-Based Mental Health Clinic

In partnership with Children’s Wisconsin, Pius XI provides a School-Based Mental Health (SBMH) Clinic here on campus to increase access to mental health services and limit the time students spend out of the classroom. Individual, family and group services are offered on-site and year-round to all students enrolled at Pius XI Catholic High School. To enroll your child in SBMH therapy services, please contact your school counselor for a referral. Clinic fees are billed to insurance for those with coverage. Children's Wisconsin provides care regardless of a family’s ability to pay, and also provides financial assistance to families.

United Way Teen Mental Wellness: Empowering Minds

Pius XI is proud to be one of 16 high schools in Southeastern Wisconsin participating in the United Way’s Teen Mental Wellness: Empowering Minds program. Through this program, we receive resources, including coaching and financial support, as we work toward building a comprehensive school mental health system and becoming an Empowering Minds School of Distinction. With these resources, we are focused on reducing stigma, increasing awareness of and access to mental health services, increasing mental health literacy, and creating healthier school and home environments for our students, staff and families. Our Empowering Minds Committee is made up of key stakeholders including parents, mental health experts, students, counselors, faculty, and school leadership to ensure all voices are represented. This group meets regularly under the guidance of our coach to assess needs and develop strategies to meet those needs.

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NAMI Southeastern Wisconsin

Pius XI is proud to be the first high school in Milwaukee County to become a NAMI Southeastern Wisconsin Lighthouse Project partner. The Lighthouse Project provides an Outreach/Support Coordinator who connects with families who have a child or adolescent displaying behavior that is worrisome and/or has mental health concerns. The coordinator will support the family with navigating services, in order to assist them with creating a family environment that promotes mental wellness, and encourages an atmosphere that is conducive for learning and growth. To access the NAMI Lighthouse Coordinator, please contact your child’s counselor or Assistant Principal LaKendra Brown.

Belonging: Be More You at Pius XI

Research confirms that when children participate in organized activities, they have better self-esteem, resiliency, academic outcomes, and are more engaged in school. Students who participate in one hour or more of extracurricular activities are less likely to report anxiety or depression and less likely to have considered or attempted suicide.

Pius XI offers a full range of extracurriculars and encourages our students to connect and discover themselves by participating in the following activities:

Campus Ministry - retreats, service opportunities and more
Athletic teams - more than 25 teams, with both cut and non-cut opportunities
Clubs - more than 22 options with meetings held before, after and during school hours

Infographic source: Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health; children.wi.gov

Performing Arts - theatrical productions, choir, dance extracurricular workshops and band/orchestra
Student Ambassadors - help promote Pius XI via school visits, open house volunteering and more