Students describe Mission Hills peer‑to‑peer counseling program; board praises student leadership

Counselor Charlie Grenier and teacher Lisa Felice told the board April 9 that Mission Hills High School’s student‑led peer counseling program and campus wellness center are expanding and showing measurable student engagement.

Students described program goals of reducing stigma and providing accessible supports: the wellness center opened in November and has delivered over 400 peer support sessions in six months, trained 39 student leaders and offered dual‑enrollment college credit and paid internship hours for student interns. Staff and student presenters reported that about 88 percent of students who used the service said they felt better afterward and 92 percent reported they were prepared to return to class and learn. Services listed included school‑wide events, classroom presentations, 1:1 check‑ins, and a wellness center open for walk‑ins and scheduled appointments.

Student speakers — including Jelani, Tanya Vedran, Adrian, Leilani, Emmy and others — described role‑play training, active listening, confidentiality practices and peer referrals to counselors when needed. Counselor Charlie Grenier said the program is student‑led with staff advisement and that the district has seen strong participation and growing campus acceptance. Superintendent Dr. Johnson and multiple board members praised the students for demonstrating leadership and removing barriers to mental‑health support.

The program partners with local organizations (staff cited a site visit from The Children’s Partnership) and links to college credit and internship pathways. Board members commended the student presenters; the board did not take formal action on the presentation but acknowledged the program’s reported outcomes and recommended continued staff support.

Next steps: staff will continue to monitor program outcomes and support expansion where possible.