![MORE THAN A GAME. With two diving catches in the outfield, the Lions showed up defensively, aiding in their victory over the Pacers. One catch was made by Atwood, and the other by McGraw. Throughout the game, the Lions knew that it wasn’t just about their victory today. “I think [playing for cancer] makes it bigger than just a game,” McGraw said. “Knowing that you have a bigger impact in this world than just who you are as one person.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/I70A1454-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Students in the National Art Honor Society work on the Mount Hood mural on the window of SouthLake Church. The students brought a variety of paints and mixed their own custom colors. “Instead of brushstrokes, we’re doing more dabbing, because it gives [a] better impression of tree foliage, rather than looking like actual brush strokes, because if we’re painting trees, we need it to look like trees,” Crawford said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_2397-1200x900.jpg)
A safe place
The mental health room is there to help students, but there are still things that need to be done.
Coping skills are provided in the mental health room for students to access.
One in five teenagers suffer from a mental illness, and according to Teen Mental Health. That’s 20% of our population. Teenagers experience a wide variety of mental disorders, ranging from ADHD, to anxiety, to depression and other mental disorders.
Inside the walls of classrooms, there is little to no room for mental health care, and teachers tend to play a big role in this. “There can always be more education for counselors and teachers on how to support mental health,” Krystal Toderick, school counselor, said. “And then also how to teach kids about mental health.”
Recently there has been more talk about mental health and what actions to take to help students. During the middle of last year, the counseling team came up with the idea of the mental health room. It was an overall team effort, but it was Tracey Riddle and Michelle Bloom who helped make it happen.
“We were all trying to find places for students to go if they needed space,” Toderick said. “And more and more we realized we needed a designated space that people knew about, that they could access, even if they didn’t connect with their counselor first.”
The mental health room consists of fidget toys, bean bags and lists of coping skills.
The only source of advertisement for the mental health room is word by mouth. But there are other ways to get students who are struggling, help. “If you see someone who is upset, walk them down there so that more students know that it’s a space that you can use at any point,” Toderick said.
Throughout the school day, students that are suffering either skip class or they tough it out so they can stay in class because education always comes first. That is why the mental health room was put into place, to give a healthy option.
“As counselors, we recognize that kids are working through some mental health stuff and are stressed, experiencing some things, and that they need a space to do that,” Toderick said. “Our job is for students to know that we are trying to respond to what we’re hearing, which is a lot of mental health worries or just concerns.”
It is not a secret that high schoolers are dealing with heavy stuff nowadays, but the most important thing to hold onto is that you are not alone. Everyone is going through something. “I want people to feel like it’s okay if you’re struggling with depression or suicide, there’s nothing wrong with you, we’re just wanting you to not feel alone,” Toderick said. “And as best, we can find someone, if it’s anyone that you connect with, so that we can start getting help.”
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