to Mental Health Messages Aimed at Students
For the second time in 18 months, Denair Unified dedicated an entire school day Wednesday to the subject of mental health for the nearly 700 students who attend Denair High School, Denair Middle School and Denair Charter Academy.
During the first four class periods, students watched eight videos centered on mental health covering topics including the importance of seeking help, how to use coaching apps, and the connection between psychological and physical health. The program featured skits from members of the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Club, plenty of information from more than two dozen local agencies poised to help teens and their families, a barbecue lunch, lots of music, a photo booth and a colorful fun run for all.
Unlike the first mental health awareness day in March 2023, there was no featured speaker.
“The purpose of the day was to provide a fun and informative event centered around mental health awareness while incorporating positive coping skills and to show how physical exercise can be a great strategy to support one’s mental health,” said Brittany Heinsaar, a counselor at Denair High.
The message to students Wednesday was that they’re not alone in whatever they may be experiencing and there are others standing by ready to help. All they’ve got to do is ask.
“This event opened doors for students to feel safe at school to talk about their mental health struggles and ask for help,” Lina Mateus, a mental health clinician for the district and the organizer of Wednesday’s program.
Still, mental health remains a topic that many people are uncomfortable talking about or even
acknowledging. The barriers are many – lack of confidence, misplaced pride, embarrassment, the feeling no one else could possibly understand the anxiety, depression or other emotions that cause too many people too much pain.
“The stigma is still alive and well – if you’re struggling mentally, there’s something wrong with you. And
nothing could be further from the truth,” said Superintendent Terry Metzger, who has made mental health services a priority for students and their families as well as staff members since she arrived in Denair in 2018.
The district has ongoing relationships with the Center for Human Services and La Familia, which provide various levels of access to counseling and other mental health services. There are full-time mental health clinicians on staff in addition to counselors assigned to each campus. In the fall of 2021 — after students and staff had returned to campus following many months of COVID-inspired distance learning — Metzger worked with Legacy Health Endowment of Turlock to secure the services of a Stanford University psychiatrist, who conducted a series of video-based discussions with students, staff and families around the topic of mental health over many months.
During that time, Metzger also formed a Youth Mental Health Advisory Committee with about 15
students so she could hear directly from them about what they were feeling, thinking and hearing. Those conversations with students resulted in the formation in 2023 of the NAMI Club, another way for Denair students to bring weekly attention to mental health issues.
All the combined efforts, Metzger explained, are to reassure students that “if they need help, there are supports. There are caring adults in their lives.”
“They need to be comfortable reaching out for help,” she said. “That’s the only way to be the real you. That’s how to be a happy, successful adult.”
One of the focuses of Wednesday’s event was the positive connection between exercise and mental health, which was the inspiration for the color run, which lasted 35 minutes. As students ran either the two-mile or 5K route, they were dusted in chalks of different colors. Those who completed the run received medals.
Mateus said that research has found “a strong connection between how people represent their feelings and colors according to their culture.”
“For instance, mental health is often defined by lime green, yellow is associated with hope or joy, blue with relief, pink with love, and many more,” she explained. “Creating a run with the idea to target mental health education and building a solid connection with physical health in a fun environment could open doors for students and staff to increase acceptance and reduce the stigma around mental illness. The mind-body connection event showed participants the importance and benefits of movement in our brains and how a healthier lifestyle can increase mood and self-esteem.”
As they ran, the students passed 24 signs made by NAMI members related to mental health in
combination with physical health. Later, the signs were strategically placed at the front of the school road, ensuring they were visible to all parents when dropping off or picking up the students.
“Moving the signs from inside to outside the school extended the event’s impact to the broader school community, raising awareness about mental health and the student’s active involvement in promoting it,” Mateus said.
Heinsaar said the fun run “definitely was the highlight of the day for many of the kids.”
“It was great to see everyone get involved, smiling, having fun, and truly enjoying the activity,” she said. “Even those who thought they didn’t want to participate in the end shared that they had a great time and would love to do it again.”
In addition to Mateaus and Heinsaar, the event organizers included Rosaura Contreras, Kara Binkley, Sally Baker, Perla Bravo and Luis Martinez.
