SAN MARCOS — A $1.5 million state grant is equipping Mission Hills High School students to more directly support one another’s mental health through a new peer-to-peer counseling program and on-campus wellness center that opened this school year.
Mission Hills is one of eight schools statewide to be chosen for the Peer-to-Peer High School Pilot Demonstration Grant, which supports youth-driven, school-based mental health initiatives. The three-year grant is offered by The Children’s Partnership and the California Department of Health Care Services.
A small group of passionate Mission Hills students led the grant application effort and collaborated with school and district staff to bring their vision to life, including designing the interior of the center.
After launching the program on campus this fall, the San Marcos Unified School District officially celebrated the grand opening of the wellness center on Wednesday. There, peer counselors shared about their experiences and the work that went into getting the grant.
Senior Jalani Ras, one of the students who co-wrote the grant application alongside senior Noah Mazza, said she saw the need for more mental health resources on campus after the loss of her brother in her sophomore year. Learning last year that Mission Hills was one of the grantees for the pilot program was “surreal,” she said.
“I was so happy. It’s something I will forever be so proud of,” Ras said.
The grant funded the remodel of the wellness center space, located near the administration building in a separate area from the rest of the school, as well as the hiring of another full-time counselor and clerical staff to support the space.
Students visiting the wellness center find a space with comfortable seating and blankets, as well as calming activities such as bracelet making, art and coloring, among other offerings.
“The peer counseling program, it came from students who saw a need and did something about it,” said Mission Hills Wellness Counselor Charlie Grenier, who helped develop and now oversees the peer-to-peer program. “You can already kind of feel this culture shift happening, where seeking help isn’t a weakness.”
To become peer counselors, students must take an initial course that provides training and leads to certification in their first year. After that, they can apply to work in the wellness center as paid hourly interns during one of their class periods, supporting students one-on-one as well as the broader school community.
At any given point during the day, including before and after school, students can visit the wellness center and connect with one of the current 15 peer counselors. For many students, it can be less intimidating to talk to someone their own age, who can relate to the pressures and challenges they are facing, than to an adult.
“I’ve always been a little bit intimidated to talk to adults,” said junior and peer counselor Sady Ortiz. “I’ve seen a lot more students talk about their emotions. Many of them simply want people to listen. I listen, and they just open up.”
If someone comes forward with an issue beyond the skill level of the student counselors, they can also connect them with an adult school counselor and other services.
Mazza said he experienced poor mental health due to bullying in middle school, and found there wasn’t a space to talk about it. Now, he is putting his all into making the wellness center and Mission Hills into a more supportive place for students as a peer counselor.
“I had trouble in middle school. A lot of kids made fun of me, to the point that I had to leave school. I went online in eighth grade. That was the moment that opened my eyes, that something needs to change,” Mazza said. “I feel like coming into this, I wanted to emphasize that everyone has moments like this, where they can come into the wellness center and use it.”
The Peer-to-Peer High School Pilot Demonstration grant builds on other recent district efforts to connect students with a broader range of mental health resources. Throughout the country, K-12 schools saw stark declines in student mental health in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a youth risk behavior survey from the Centers for Disease Control, 40% of surveyed high school students reported experiencing “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” in 2023, and 20% seriously considered attempting suicide.
These rates were higher among women compared to men and among LGBTQ+ students compared to those who are not LGBTQ+.
In 2023, San Marcos Unified received a $1.25 million grant from the city of San Marcos to implement a tiered system of mental health initiatives tailored to various levels of need, including an on-campus campaign aimed at reducing stigma surrounding mental health.
District leaders noted how helpful it would have been to have peer-to-peer resources and a wellness center back when they were students.
“It’s my vision that we have one of these on all 19 of our campuses,” said SMUSD Superintendent Andy Johnsen.
High school students interested in the areas of counseling and wellness can also earn college credits through Cal State San Marcos in these areas, accelerating their graduation. The university offers dual-enrollment courses, such as Introduction to Personal Health and Wellness and Introduction to Health and Wellness Careers.
