Highland Academy’s Connection Crew builds support among students amid rising mental health concerns nationwide

A peer-led mental health program at Highland Academy is working to break stigma and build connection among students as anxiety, depression and loneliness continue to rise among teenagers.

The initiative, called Connection Crew, was launched at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year and trains students to support their peers through conversation, empathy and awareness of mental health challenges. The program was created by Logan Johnson, the school’s director of student success and a nationally certified school psychologist, after she spent a year assessing the needs of students on campus.

“I spent the first year listening to the students and looking at what the needs of the community were,” Johnson said. “Like many high schools in America, our teens were looking for connection. Since 2010, anxiety and depression rates amongst teenagers has more than doubled. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people, and mental health is a very real thing.”

Connection Crew operates as a volunteer-based group where students learn about mental health, communication skills and how to recognize warning signs of suicide. Participants are trained to support peers but to involve adults when situations become serious.

Johnson said the peer-to-peer model is critical because students are often the first to notice when something is wrong.

“Kids who are suicidal … are going to reach out to a friend,” Johnson said. “There are warning signs, and there is something we can do.”

Throughout the year, students have met regularly in small groups designed to encourage vulnerability and honest conversation. For junior Ellie Cortez, the program has helped shift how students talk about mental health.

“It’s made me less embarrassed to admit that sometimes I struggle [with my mental health],” Cortez said. “I realized that I can get help and it’s not embarrassing… it’s okay to admit, like, ‘I’m having a really rough week.’”

Sophomore Micah Hallam said his involvement in Connection Crew was shaped by his struggles with depression, and added the program added support during a difficult year.

“Connection Crew for me has just been like a constant pillar,” Hallam said. “It’s helped knowing that there’s other people suffering in this world too, and that we can all help each other. For me, I just want to help people know that [their struggles] are not the end of their story.”

Hallam said the impact of the program has extended into everyday life on campus. He added that he has seen changes in his classmates’ attitudes over time.

“Their moods are getting better, and their overall attitudes have become more positive,” Hallam said. “More importantly, we’ve learned that it is important we reach out to our friends. Sometimes you will never know if someone is struggling unless you go out of your way to talk to them.”

While rooted in mental health education, the program also takes a Christian approach.

“Connection to God and connection to others is really the foundation of mental health,” she said. “No kid wants to be alone. High school is hard, and just by being a good friend, you are making a difference.”

As the program completes its first year, Johnson said she hopes to expand Connection Crew to other schools by making the program materials accessible and affordable, allowing more campuses to adopt the peer-led model.