After the pandemic shined a light on the importance of mental health, students and staff at Clayton High School (CHS) set out to launch a wellness program unlike any other in the metro area. Inspired by student wellness centers in the San Francisco area, the team created a space that not only meets students where they are now but can also help set them up for success in the future with helpful tools and strategies.
“It’s about showing them the resources they have available to them in the school and also the community,” says wellness coordinator Jennifer McKeown. “The Wellness Center is a space to let them know they’re not alone, and these are all the services and people who are here to help.”
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The CHS Wellness Center offers daily essentials (hair ties, Band-Aids, a calming atmosphere), 10-minute “brain breaks” for students during stressful or emotional moments (with a pass from a teacher), and more intensive crisis support with a licensed mental health specialist. CHS views the center as a vital complement to its broader support network, including the counseling department, the school nurse, and the health curriculum.
The Wellness Center’s programming also stretches into the school’s hallways, health classes, and common areas. The team has developed self-awareness signage, workshops such as tea-making and educational interactive games), partnerships with local nonprofits such as Duo Dogs, and more. The staff hopes to expand these outreach efforts during the next academic year, highlighting coping strategies to combat risks of substance abuse, as well as wellness as it relates to digital issues.
“Technology and its impacts are not going away,” says Grace Sullentrup, wellness outreach specialist. “So let’s teach students how to use it as a way to improve their wellness, rather than leaning into its negative or addictive properties.”
McKeown describes the importance of addressing the gap between simple self-care practices and more involved intervention. “There’s this whole middle part, which is teaching coping skills for life, stress, anxiety, and how you can and deserve to take a minute or take a measure for yourself in the midst of a challenging time or moment,” she says. “That’s often where people find themselves, especially with the pressures of being a high school student today.”
Today, as the center celebrates its first anniversary, the staff has welcomed several metro area schools that have an interest in launching similar services to tour the space. Dr. Cameron Poole, chief equity and inclusion officer, sees the Wellness Center and interest from area schools as part of a larger movement in education to prioritize youth mental health.
McKeown believes the district’s commitment to addressing the issue has led to the center’s success during its first year. “It’s why we’re able to make wellness a centerstone of the student life experience here,” she says, “and why, hopefully, they’ll carry that mentality throughout their lives.”
