Ava Leone stands in front of her mural at the Ridgewood Avenue School.
GLEN RIDGE — Recent Glen Ridge High School graduate Ava Leone pursued her Girl Scout Gold Award by painting a mural and creating a mental health curriculum for the schools in her hometown.
The painted mural is on the back of Ridgewood Avenue School and has a saying that Leone learned as a child.
“‘Tie it to a balloon and let it go’ is a saying my mother once told me,” Leone said. “She understood that I was a visual learner so one day when I was anxious she told me to close my eyes and imagine writing down my worries on a piece of paper then tying those worries to a string attached to a balloon and letting the balloon go. As you watch that balloon float high up into the sky, visualize your worries floating away with it.”
Leone said it was a simple but impactful message for her.
“Learning to let go of my anxiety was actually understanding that, I can only control what I can control and the rest? Well, ‘Tie it to a balloon and let it go,’” Leone said.
Leone suffered from anxiety and ADHD growing up and says she created this project along with her team as a response to the rise of mental health struggles in today’s schools.
According to a recent survey by VeryWellMind, 89% of teachers report that they need more resources in supporting their student’s mental health in the classrooms. The second part of the project was a curriculum available for free at tieittoaballoon.com that teachers, school nurses and parents can download. It consists of eight different mental health coloring worksheets aimed at helping kids work through their feelings with the help of Bally the Balloon Bunny.
Ridgewood Avenue School Principal Dr. Michael Donovan, who is also a psychotherapist, said that when Leone came to him with this project he was thrilled.
“It’s exciting to have a former student want to give back to her school and also embrace her own struggles with mental health issues in an effort to make a difference in the lives of children,” Donovan said.
Donovan plans on having the coloring worksheets available to his staff.
“The website and materials will be shared with all teachers as tools and resources they can offer to students proactively and in times of dysregulation and stress,” Donovan said.
Leone hopes that schools, libraries and community centers nationwide include the curriculum on their websites as a resource to help students learn about their worries, open up a conversation with adults about their mental health struggles and get help to live healthier lives.
The curriculum is available at tieittoaballoon.com and on the Ridgewood Avenue School website. https:// www.glenridge.org/Domain/298
Fewer than 6% of scouts earn the Girl Scout’s highest honor, the Gold Award by dedicating their time to creating an impactful project that tackles a pressing issue in their community. Leone will be meeting with the council in September hoping to have final approval on earning her Gold Award.
Ava has been a Girl Scout for the past 12 years. She graduated Glen Ridge High School in 2023 and is now currently a freshman studying business, art and playing Division 3 field hockey at Oberlin College in Ohio.
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