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By Christina Mimms
With a recent poll by the American Psychiatric Association revealing that 89 percent of Americans believe that mental health should be addressed in schools today, it’s no surprise that K-12 schools everywhere are stepping up to the plate and figuring out ways to ensure that students feel connected and supported. Nowhere is this more apparent than in metro Atlanta’s private schools, which have placed student engagement at the top of their priority lists in recent years. Through day-to-day activities, athletics and clubs, as well as an array of mental health initiatives instituted by local centers of learning, students of all ages are building friendships and those all-important circles of support. Knowing they can lean on peers as well as adults in the school environment positively impacts their ability to focus and learn effectively, enhance their social skills and develop effective coping and time management techniques.
Following a study published in 2021 by Georgia State University researchers, Danté McKay, director of the Office of Children, Young Adults & Families at the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, noted, “School-based mental health programs that are focused on collaboration and bringing systems together to connect children, families, schools and community can be an effective way to leverage resources and more fully develop healthy, enriching environments where children can grow and learn.”
Here, KNOWAtlanta looks at several private schools across the metro area and the various ways that they empower students with tools to support positive mental health while helping them to engage with their communities to build an overall uplifting school culture.
At High Meadows School in Roswell, the counseling program supports students from pre-K through eighth grade with a child-centered approach that emphasizes individual growth and is dedicated to nurturing students’ academic and emotional growth to ensure that they thrive in a supportive and engaging environment. Integral to the school’s educational model, the program 
includes classroom guidance, group and individual counseling, behavioral interventions, conflict resolution and parent education. The program also goes beyond traditional counseling techniques and incorporates yoga, mindfulness exercises and outdoor activities like hiking and time with animals to promote overall well-being. What’s more, many of the school’s effort are both grade specific and age appropriate.
In the lower years (pre-K to fifth grade), counselor Mary Schuman, MS, teaches guidance lessons on topics such as friendship, identity, emotional regulation and digital citizenship. She also offers group counseling for students with common needs such as friendship skills and self-regulation. For middle years (sixth to eighth grade), counselor Shannon Wright, MSW, focuses on social skills, study techniques, communication and wellness. Students participate in lunchtime clubs in which they can explore interests such as crafting, anime and board games, which helps them build connections and enhance their mental health.
Community service also is a key component of both the lower and middle years counseling program. Lower years students host several food and clothing drives throughout the year for local organizations. Middle years students participate in numerous volunteer opportunities, such as mentoring elementary students through the STARHouse organization and supporting The Sandwich Project, which empowers students to contribute positively to their community.
At Mount Pisgah Christian School in Johns Creek, teachers, administrators, counselors and staff are committed to helping students feel seen and connected. One method that school leaders employ to foster a sense of belonging is greeting students by name as they arrive in the morning. Personal connection is a key part of the community, according to Jennifer Scott, LPC, 
director of counseling.
In recent years, the school also has worked to facilitate engagement with middle and upper school students through intentional small group advisory lessons. These sessions are dedicated to direct instruction in social-emotional development; during the sessions, students discuss topics such as goal setting, spiritual development, conflict management and navigating social media. Additionally, in the lower school, morning meetings provide a thoughtful way to help students get ready for the day ahead. These meetings build classroom culture and set a positive tone for the day’s learning.
Additionally, each year, students in grades fifth through 12 begin the fall semester with an off-campus spiritual retreat at SharpTop Cove Young Life Camp, a nature-based camp in the North Georgia Mountains that gives the students time to focus on growing their faith, team building and enhancing peer relationships. This retreat helps set the foundation for the rest of the school year and is supported by ongoing activities in weekly chapel services.
At the Mount Vernon School in Sandy Springs, school leaders firmly believe that learners thrive when they feel belonging through responsive care. The school’s Collaborative Care team (nursing, counseling, academic resources and spiritual life) works in partnership with school leaders to support the individual needs of children; the team focuses on students’ literacies, 
skills, attributes and relationship development through the use of academic resources, counseling, nursing and spiritual life activities, with the student at the center and all areas of collaborative care. Each school division convenes its own Collaborative Care team to regularly address cultural and community needs, and the teams collectively assess the overall school culture and climate, offering proactive education, instruction and guidance while fulfilling individual student support roles.
“Counselors, nurses, members of our academic resource team and our spiritual life team all have different perspectives on student needs. By seeing these services as a connected team, we position ourselves to provide ‘wrap around’ care that gets at the heart of student needs,” explains Dr. Stacey M. Jones Lee, chief of inclusion, diversity, equity and action at the Mount Vernon School. “Students feel seen. We say to students that we want each of them to have a trusted adult. They know of our desire to support them and often feel confident to reach out for support knowing that if their trusted adult is in one area of school life, the message regarding their needs and care plan will be appropriately shared.”
And these efforts have paid off. According to Mount Vernon’s 2024 Authentic Connections Survey of students in grades six through 12, the feeling of anxiety connected to school has decreased each year, from nine percent in 2021 to 3.7 percent in 2024. Additionally, 94 percent of Mount Vernon students on the lower campus and 91 percent of students on the upper campus report a high sense of well-being, which is exceptional compared with the national average of 84.4 percent.
At Trinity School, located in Buckhead, counselors engage with students through lunch group meetings, where children connect 
with peers who share common interests and goals. The groups provide opportunities to build skills through games, as well as foster relationships within smaller communities. Additionally, counselors hold regular meetings with whole grade levels to address character traits, conflict resolution and teamwork, reinforcing that all adults at Trinity are united in supporting all of the students.
In an additional effort, the school’s Buddy Program pairs older (grades 2 through 6) and younger (age three through grade 1) students, helping younger children feel comfortable and supported. These relationships often extend beyond scheduled interactions, creating a warm and welcoming environment throughout the school year. Fifth and sixth also graders venture off campus on overnight trips that include teambuilding exercises, promoting a sense of community across homerooms.
Trinity students also participate in morning meetings, helping them build connections as they share stories, greet each other, and solve problems together. These activities contribute to a trusting and supportive school culture where students can flourish.
Fairburn’s Landmark Christian School is centered around community and connection. School leaders prioritize knowing students and families personally, providing opportunities for them to connect with each other in the classroom and beyond. 
Students enjoy time to connect through clubs, fine arts, sports and other extracurricular activities. Elementary-, middle- and high school-level clubs help students find others with similar interests and provide an environment to build a sense of belonging. Within the school, particular clubs help students connect in the immediate school community, while other school organizations are designed to serve the local community.
In terms of the individual students, each school division has a dedicated counselor who is both proactively and reactively caring for the emotional and social needs of the young learners. Counselors offer the opportunity for both small group and large group counseling, as well as individual connections with counselors and mentors. Relationships with counselors and the broader faculty create a foundation for conversations through tough times and connections when difficult life circumstances arise. The school operates with the desire that all Landmark students know who they can talk with and that they are seen, heard, known and loved.
Additionally, the school’s Parent University is a collection of resources for parent partnership and support; the organization hosts on-campus resource nights to support parents and students in learning ways to improve their spiritual, mental and physical health. The first resource night of the year in September was entitled “Keeping Students Safe in a Digital World,” featuring a program coordinator from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
