The Kimberly Bognot Memorial Scholarship

BOGNOT DISCUSSES MENTAL HEALTH WITH SENIORS

Quinn Pedrick, Managing Editor

December 8, 2020

Mental health is a vital topic to discuss, especially during distance education, and Government teacher Vince Bognot has brought the conversation to his virtual classroom just as he has done in the past.

“I’ve noticed that ‘senioritis’ typically kicks in when the season changes around November,” Bognot said. “As a teacher, I believe that it is okay to pause every once in a while with the content we’re looking at and to have a conversation with my students about ‘the real world.’ One of these conversations involve speaking about mental health and the sad reality of suicides in our state, and addressing The Kimberly Bognot Memorial Scholarship.”

Bognot has faced his own personal struggles with mental health with his sister’s experience being the basis of the annual conversation and his advocacy of the topic. He brings such a serious matter up to his students to help remind them that they are not alone, having to strongly emphasize it in this isolating year.

After a quick refresher of the class material, Bognot asks his students to turn their cameras on in order to make sure they understand the seriousness of the topic. He discloses that the conversation is completely unprepped, unlike his usual lessons, because he finds that an unrehearsed conversation is much more genuine. He then covers the topic of mental health by sharing his personal experiences, bringing his own words of wisdom, reminding students of their ever-present support system at the school, and having Counselor Wendy Duran cover topics of recognizing various signs and coping strategies.

“When I say the words ‘mental health,’ suddenly the vibe is a little more serious,” Bognot said. “I shared pictures of myself when I was younger to lighten the mood (they are pretty awkward lol), and as I am clicking through, a picture of Kimberly pops up. I talk to my students a little bit about my sister, and then I mention that she had committed suicide.”

The Kimberly Bognot Memorial Scholarship is a scholarship available to all Valley seniors who have overcome a personal challenge with a GPA of 2.5 or higher and plan to attend a college/university as a full time student in the fall. To learn more about how to apply and possibly receive the scholarship, go to this link.

“Mr. Bognot was very effective in his messaging,” a senior in Bognot's class said. “While many classes have students with their cameras off, he wanted all of us to have our cameras on to make the class feel more humanizing. This way he was not talking to an empty screen with no soul. I gained a sense of understanding and appreciation for the life of others. You truly never know what someone is going through. With that form of thinking, it makes me be sympathetic to others.”

Valley has been a strong supporter of mental health long before the pandemic, constantly enforcing the phrase, “It is okay to not be okay,” as Principal Ramona Esparza, along with many other Valley staff members, have said. The school has supported their efforts from having events spanning from Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation sponsoring Teen Mental Health First Aid to all seniors in the 2018-2019 school year to Student Council’s virtual mental health week. Valley continues to find ways to help support the students every year, and Bognot is one of many teachers fighting to help make that effort and change.

“In a difficult time like this one, as a teacher, it is important for me to remind them that they are more important than any assignment they ever get assigned in school, and that having conversations like this beats any lecture I have on how a bill becomes a law, etc.,” Bognot said. “I’ve had many students who’ve told me that the conversation on mental health I have with them will be among the top things that they will always remember about my course, and that’s just fine with me.”

Scholarship recipients are selected by a panel of judges that do not include Mr. Bognot or members of the Bognot Family.

TBD, $1,000.00, Arbor View High School Class of 2024

Paris Taj Mir Riahi, $1,000.00, Arbor View High School Class of 2023

Nethelie Ruby Cajeras, $500.00, Valley High School Class of 2022

Faith Alcorn, $1,000.00, Arbor View High School Class of 2022

Naomi Reyes, $500.00, Class of 2021, Valley High School

Bogdan Degeratu, $1,000.00, Class of 2021, Valley High School

Frankie Medina, $1,000.00, Class of 2020, Valley High School

Fatima Cardenas Mayorga, $1,000.00, Class of 2019, Valley High School

Yednkachew Assefa, $1,000.00, Class of 2018, Valley High School

Viviana Mandujano, $1,000.00, Class of 2018, Valley High School

The Bognot Family would like to thank the following people for making The Kimberly Bognot Memorial Scholarship possible:

Adam Peers

Adriana Lee

Andrew Messer

Angela Lok

Bianca Teh

Brianna Gentuso

Christy R

Daniel Larreynaga

Ed and Evelyn Lagmay

Ed Shull

Eileen Hupp

Elaine Young

Florencia Lewis

Florentino Castro

Fred and Long Yumul

Generoso Bognot

Heather Aradas

Jen Noon

Julissa Robinson

Karina Lee

Karmella Bognot

Katelyn Lieberman

Kathrina Bognot

Keith Strausbaugh

Kylie Orme

Lisa Gibson

Lucy Lucy

Mai Castro

Mary Clare Yumul

Megan Tabano

Miguel Quintana

Mike Sabino

Mira C

Modesto and Karen Lagmay

Nick Leonard

Nicole Scuderi 

Patricia Pena

Philip Fung

Ryan Vital

Sara Hupp

Simbulan-Mojica Family

Summer Gibson

Todd LaRochelle

Victoria Jo

Vincent Bognot