The pandemic has uncovered alarming rates of psychological distress in our youth and the urgent need for increased services and support. But even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health challenges were the leading cause of disability and poor life outcomes in young people.

In 2019, the Home & School Club and Principal Kara Butler put together a wish list for the money raised by the Home & School Club that year. Principal Butler had the foresight to make student mental health projects a priority on that list. With this in mind, the Home & School Club established a new committee, Mental Health & Wellness chaired by Leigh parent Kristin Welter, and also prioritized funding of mental health and wellness projects at Leigh.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, many mental health and wellness projects were canceled. Kristin and her team put all of their efforts into researching Wellness Centers at other schools. The idea seemed like a great fit for Principal Butler's mission which ultimately became the mission of the Wellness Team...

It took about a year and a lot of masterminding to find the perfect space and to source staffing for the Wellness Center. It then took many weeks of planning and preparation, followed by 3 weekends and 38 volunteers, to transform an empty classroom into a warm and inviting space. The Wellness Center opened its doors to students on January 25th, 2022.

Thank you to Principal Butler whose vision to prioritize mental health for students at Leigh is what drove this project. Her leadership throughout this project has been invaluable. Thank you to Assistant Principal Laurel Garceau, our School Counselors, and our Wellness Center Coordinator, Carolina Mora Barney, for their guidance and support.

A very special thank you to Kristin Welter, Leigh parent and Home & School Club Mental Health & Wellness Committee Chair, who collaborated with Mrs. Butler and our Leigh Staff to accomplish this vision and create a beautiful space for our students. This project could not have happened without Kristin's passion and expertise. Kristin has poured her heart and soul into this project, and we are truly grateful for her commitment these past several years. Thank you Kristin for your ongoing support and for building a strong foundation of mental health and wellness awareness that we can continue to build on in the future!

Thank you to our Mental Health & Wellness Consultant, Priya Bhogaonker, PsyD, who has been instrumental in the execution of the opening of the Wellness Center. Priya has supported the planning, implementation, and logistics required to open the Wellness Center. She is currently working on program development, including supporting a student advisory panel, planning for parent workshops, and more, as well as developing a communications and outreach plan for the Wellness Center. Priya is funded by the Home & School Club.

A huge thank you to the parent and student volunteers who generously gave of their time to make the Wellness Center happen. The list of volunteers below includes a wonderful group of people who have put countless hours into this project from the infancy stages when helping with research, to shopping, cleaning, painting, and decorating, to helping bring everything together so we could open on January 25th. This was truly a team effort! Thank you all!

Thank you to our Leigh families for your very generous donations to the Home & School Club which enabled us to provide the funding to create this space. We are truly grateful! The Home & School Club prioritized mental health & wellness this year, and your donations allowed us to allocate $27,500 of our budget to the Wellness Center. This money was raised through our Annual Giving Drive as well as through large donations to the Home & School Club. The money was used to purchase furniture, materials, paint, etc and to fund our Mental Health & Wellness consultant.

We also want to thank the CUHSD Education Foundation for their very generous donation of $5,000 to the Wellness Center. This money will be used to fund additional materials and mental health & wellness programs in the center.

The Wellness Center, located in Room 29, is a place for students to check in with someone, take a wellness break, learn coping strategies to deal with life stressors such as anxiety, bullying, family concerns, tough relationships, or suicidal thoughts and feelings.

Students may access the Center during class with permission, before school, between classes, and at lunch. The center is supported by a Wellness Coordinator and our Wellness Team, all of whom are dedicated to improving the health, well-being, and academic success of all students.

The Mental Health and Wellness Team includes our Leigh administrative staff, School Counselors, Cassy and Uplift Therapists, Wellness Coordinator, Wellness Center Planning and Outreach Specialist, Mental Health and Wellness Committee of Home & School Club, and Mental Health and Wellness related student clubs.

Visit the Wellness Center Website

Talk to your student about the Wellness Center

Watch our videos

Read Principal Butler’s Weekly Bulletin and the Home & School Club monthly newsletter

Buy books for our Lending Library

Donate to and/or get involved with Home & School Club

Click on the image below to visit the virtual Wellness Center and explore resources to relax, unwind, get connected, and to find new strategies and tools for managing stress and emotions. Visit the calming room for links to guided mediations and other calming resources.

We encourage parents to visit the Wellness Center website to learn more about Mental Health and Wellness, access resources, as well as have your student see you using the tools on the website.