Clarke County School District Mental Wellness Specialist Fran Thompson speaks at the 2026 CCSD Teen Mental Health Summit. The summit was held at the Athens Community Career Academy’s H.T. Edwards campus on Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in an effort to open conversation about mental health. “Since (the COVID-19 pandemic), we have seen an increase in students and staff members who need support after COVID,” CCSD Director of School Counseling Veronica Johnson said. “From the time we wake up in the morning, you’re already feeling something, and then when we go to bed at night, we’re feeling something. Being able to recognize those feelings throughout the day and how those feelings may affect your behavior (and) how you respond to people (is important).” Photo by Maypop Wren
The Athens Community Career Academy hosted the third annual CCSD Teen Mental Health Summit, in collaboration with the statewide mental health campaign “Free Your Feels,” on Oct. 24.
The third-annual Clarke County School District Teen Mental Health Summit was held on Oct. 24, in an attempt to create a safe space for teens aged 12-18 to openly discuss mental health.
The event, hosted by the Athens Community Career Academy on its H.T. Edwards campus from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., was organized by CCSD Mental Wellness Specialist Fran Thompson in collaboration with the statewide mental health campaign “Free Yours Feels.”
“There’s definitely been a lot more anxiety in kids since the pandemic,” Thompson said. “Athens specifically, we’re this really amazing community that’s really multicultural. (There are) very different communities that all live together, work together, go to school together and have the same experiences in terms of mental health. To approach it at a community level is to create that awareness of being able to talk about it.”
“We’re not talking about reading today, we’re not talking about SATs, we’re talking about your wellness.”
— Veronica Johnson,
CCCSD Director of School Counseling
The summit, which kicked off with a presentation discussing community-building activities and information about the event, was partially led by student leaders from Clarke Central High School, Cedar Shoals High School and Classic City High School, including CSHS junior Mekihi Gaines.
“(The event is) a great opportunity for me to connect with my community, learn what my community needs, and talk to them about mental health,” Gaines said. “I see it every day at school. There are people who struggle with mental health, and they don’t know how to talk about it, because no one talks to them about how to talk about their mental health.”
“(The event is) a great opportunity for me to connect with my community, learn what my community needs, and talk to them about mental health,” Gaines said. “I see it every day at school. There are people who struggle with mental health, and they don’t know how to talk about it, because no one talks to them about how to talk about their mental health.”
A student speaks during the 2026 Clarke County School District Teen Mental Health Summit. The summit was held at the Athens Community Career Academy’s H.T. Edwards campus on Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in an attempt to facilitate open communication within CCSD students aged 12-18, about mental health. “It matters to me to have events like this about mental health because there are plenty of times in my life where I probably have had mental health issues that I didn’t know or I didn’t know how to address. Having these events really helps people identify certain things,” Gaines said. Photo by Maypop Wren
The presentation was followed by a round of “Self-Expression Stations,” which offered ways to care for one’s mental health, including bead crafting, yoga, journaling, pumpkin painting or decorating, a photo booth, and time to socialize with two therapy dogs.
“Personally, (this event) is important to me because while I’m in the schools, I’m not with students, I’m in meetings. This is an opportunity for me to connect with students, and also an opportunity for them to see us as personnel (and) have a little fun with (students),” CCSD Director of School Counseling Veronica Johnson said. “We’re not talking about reading today, we’re not talking about SATs, we’re talking about your wellness.”
Lunch was served from 12:10 p.m. to 12:55 p.m., followed by a second rotation of the “Self-Expression Stations.” During the second rotation, parents and guardians could attend a presentation by a National Alliance on Mental Illness guest speaker from the University of Georgia, giving them an opportunity to discuss how to support their children’s mental health with one another and professionals. The event concluded with a group reflection.
“The whole idea behind (the summit) is to free your feelings, to openly talk about mental health and reversing the stigma that’s still very much in our culture. I think we’re going in the right direction of talking about mental health a lot more, but I think we have some ways to go,” Thompson said. “I really want people to realize that it’s not just so negative. Mental health isn’t just when you’re anxious or depressed. It’s every feeling that you have, your human experience.”
