Hialeah Miami Lakes' Project Citizens team competes at state

The Project Citizen team at Hialeah Miami Lakes Senior High School (HML) advanced to the Project Citizen State finals. This is the third consecutive year the team has advanced to the final round of this competition. The team's project last school year won Best Overall High School Portfolio and represented the State of Florida in the Project Citizen national showcase earning a Superior rating.
This year, HML's project is “Mind Yourself:Access to Mental Health Services in Florida.” The team seeks to improve access to mental health care services for Florida public school students by proposing a Behavioral Health Education course for middle and high school students. The proposed course would address topics such as reducing the stigma surrounding mental health, managing stress and getting professional care. 
Project Citizen is a portfolio-based civic education program. As part of the program, students must identify, select and work to solve a problem with a public policy solution within the community. Participation in the program teaches students interested in law or law-related fields the important skills of monitoring and influencing public policy in a democratic society. The program is conducted through an elective course offering in the HML's Legal Studies Academy.
The team defended their project at Florida Southern College in Lakeland on May 28.