Case Study: Marshall County School District

Building Sustainable Mental Health Support for Staff & Students

Background

Marshall County School District is a close-knit community located in rural West Kentucky.

Like many districts, the impact of the pandemic has left many students struggling with their social skill development and grappling with mental health challenges, including low self-esteem, anxiety, and self-harm ideation and behaviors.

Group of five people smiling, holding educational materials, standing in a classroom setting with a blue couch and posters in the background.

The Vision

Recognizing the need for a consistent, district-wide approach to address mental health issues among students, Marshall County set out to create both a culture and programs that would foster a supportive environment and ensure comprehensive Tier 2 support for all students.

The district knew the key to system-wide change was empowering their own staff to train additional school counselors and mental health staff to lead programs, ensuring sustainability and longevity without reliance on external vendors.

To achieve this vision of empowering their staff and supporting more students, the district needed a partner who could provide rigorous in-person training to build the capacity of their school counselors and mental health staff in the short-term, while simultaneously planning to hand over training responsibility to the district team in the long-term.

Finally, they wanted to support the mental health of the counselors themselves, recognizing the importance of their wellbeing in providing effective support to students.

Supporting Staff & Student Mental Health & Wellbeing

That’s where Live Big Community came in. We immersed ourselves in the Marshall County community by meeting with school staff, attending student-led events, and hosting staff wellbeing mixers and information sessions.

We also facilitated a pilot program with a group of high school students so that counselors could observe a Live Big Community program in action and assess its potential impact.

This groundwork helped us understand the unique needs and culture of the district, get feedback from staff who would be involved in the program, and generate excitement among those who would be participating in the training.

A classroom scene with students seated at tables, participating in a workshop or lesson. A woman stands at the front near a screen displaying a slideshow titled 'Connecting to Character I AM'. Students have notepads, markers, and small objects on their desks. The room has educational materials and decorations on the wall.

Next, we launched Guide Training for a group of counselors across elementary, middle, and high schools.

Over the course of five in-person training days spread throughout the year, the “Guides” delved deep to learn the research-based concepts covered by the curriculum, as well as how to customize the lessons to support the unique needs of their students.

Guides were also provided with access to our on-demand training platform and curriculum resources, further supporting their ongoing efforts.

The early success of the first group of trained Guides generated enthusiasm across the district and we launched a second cohort of Guide Training shortly thereafter.

Using a train-the-trainer approach, two of the Guides went on to receive additional training to become Marshall County Staff Trainers so that all future Guides will be trained directly by the district.

This approach lowers training costs in the long-term and ensures the program’s scalability and sustainability.

A group of nine people standing indoors, smiling at the camera. They are in front of a large screen displaying a diagram with zones labeled as Comfort, Fear, Learning, and Growth. The room has a carpeted floor, and a window with blinds is visible on the right side.

Person holding a colorful notebook in a classroom with tables, chairs, a drink, and colored markers on an orange table.

Icon of badge with checkmark next to text stating "More mental health support for staff & students."

The Impact

The impact of Live Big Community’s partnership with Marshall County has been profound. Guides are successfully using the Live Big curriculum in elementary, middle, and high schools.

Illustration with a green circle containing a red check mark beside text "Improved staff confidence, resilience & self-leadership" on a blue background.

Illustration with a checkmark symbol and text "Strengthened staff-to-student relationships" on a light blue background.

Graphic with a red check mark inside a yellow circle on a blue background, next to text saying "Shared language & sustainable culture shift" on a beige background.

The language and concepts from Live Big programs are becoming a natural part of student conversations with peers, school counselors, and teachers. This shared language has strengthened the connections between counselors and students, enhancing the overall mentorship and support system.

Counselors have reported a reduced need for one-on-one support for students who participated in Live Big program groups, giving them time to reach students who may have otherwise flown under the radar.

Relationships between school staff and students have significantly improved. School counselors are not only more connected to their students but also benefit personally from the Live Big Community curriculum.

Icon with a checkmark and text "Reduced need for 1-1 support & interventions."

The trained staff have gained confidence, resilience, and self-leadership skills, which have enriched both their professional and personal lives.

Marshall County School District’s journey with Live Big Community is a testament to what can be achieved when a community comes together with a shared vision and the right support.

The future looks promising, with a strong foundation in place for continued growth and a positive impact on student mental health and wellbeing.

Students Improved Mental Health Skills

This self-assessed student data is from small group counseling programs at Marshall County elementary and middle schools led by school counselors who were trained as part of the Live Big Guide staff training program and used the Live Big Community Curriculum

Scatter plot with box plots showing SEL index pre and post intervention, with data points and distribution lines.

68%

Students averaged a 68% increase across social-emotional skills

Scatter plot with bar graph showing self-confidence index before and after an event, with data points and bars labeled as 'Pre' and 'Post' respectively.

67%

Students averaged a 67% increase in self-efficacy & confidence skills

Scatter plot with self-regulation index, pre and post data, with overlaying bar chart, showing distribution of dots on both pre and post categories.

85%

Students averaged an 85% increase in self-regulation & resilience skills

Scatter plot with bars showing self-observation index pre and post intervention. The y-axis is labeled 'Self-observation index' ranging from -2 to 2. The x-axis has two categories: 'Pre' and 'Post'. Data points are scattered around each category, with bars and error lines indicating distribution.

56%

Students averaged a 56% increase in self-observation skills

Scatter plot with bars comparing pre and post results on self-leadership index, showing individual data points and mean values.

70%

Students averaged a 70% increase in self-leadership skills

Speech bubble saying 'I loved the lessons and how they related to all of us, letting us know we are not alone' on a pink background with an orange outline.

Speech bubble graphic with text "The candy she gives us"

Speech bubble with text: "I just wanted to have a chance to talk about my problems with people I trust."

Marshall County Students Share Why They Joined Live Big Community Programs

Speech bubble with text about group discussions on daily life

Speech bubble with text about overcoming personal problems and stress.

Speech bubble with text about relief from anxiety, anger, and stress

Speech bubble with text about self-confidence improvement.

Speech bubble with text about opening up

Speech bubble with the text "Learning the things that help me love myself more" surrounded by decorative lines and shapes.

Speech bubble with text "To get to understand myself better and cope with things"

What the Marshall County Staff Says…

Quote text on a blue background with pink quotation marks, reading: 'It gave me the space to really think about how I need to implement these things into my own life.'

Quote bubble with text: 'I found the training experience to be beneficial as it demonstrated the real life application.' Background is orange and text is black.

Inspirational quote on a blue background with red quotation marks: 'I love the energy the trainers bring to the sessions! It's one of the best trainings I've experienced.'

Quote in speech bubble: "It was nice to participate in this like therapy as the students will while also learning to facilitate this."

Group of young people holding colorful "Live BIG" books, standing indoors in front of a screen displaying "B.Y.E." text.

“Live Big has been the most impactful and engaging program for our students. The curriculum is very relevant and constantly adapting to the needs of our students. Live Big is committed to setting our district on the path to self-sustain the program through training and development of our staff.”

Dr. Steve Miracle, Former Superintendent
Marshall Country School District, Kentucky