Mahwah Students Paint Little Rocks With Big Messages

MAHWAH, NJ — A few words. That's all it takes to make someone's day a little better, a little brighter.

Students at Ramapo Ridge Middle School developed a school-wide project where they painted 800 rocks with messages of encouragement as a way of promoting mental health among themselves and the school community.

The students got the idea after the Mahwah Municipal Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to helping combat substance abuse and promote health and well-being throughout the township, especially with children, sponsored a mental health presentation recently.

The school's student council and its adviser, Courtney Carrelha, decided to focus on communicating the need for self-worth, respect, and uniqueness to their peers. This crystallized into the There's Only One You Rock Project. Carrelha is the Gifted and Talented coordinator at Ramapo Ridge Middle School.

The project was truly a school, and community-wide effort.

Stone House Nursery in Wyckoff donated 800 rocks to the school. The custodial staff cleaned the rocks. The MMA donated 30 cans of spray paint and teachers donated their time to paint the rocks.

Student Council members and students in the Character Education classes helped create shoe boxes for various groups of students to store the rocks before they are placed throughout the campus.

"Through the creation of the rocks, students added their personal touch to Ramapo Ridge Middle School leaving a strong message, and important legacy," said Carrelha. "The take away from the project was there is only one you, which makes [Ramapo] Ridge, and the great big world, special."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photos: Some of the rocks students and volunteers at Ramapo Ridge Middle School created for the There's Only One You Rock Project. (Courtesy of Courtney Carrelha)