More Than an Activity: The Story Behind Mental Health Tuesdays at Kaukauna High School

When people hear about Mental Health Tuesdays at Kaukauna High School, they often picture crafts, games, snacks, and students gathered around tables.

They're not wrong.

Throughout the school year, students made sugar scrubs, sensory jars, bath bombs, slime, tie-dye projects, affirmation blocks, essential oil blends, and countless other wellness-focused activities.

There were cookies.

There were competitions.

There was giant Jenga.

There were conversations.

And there was a lot of laughter.

But what most people don't see is what happened underneath all of that.

Because Mental Health Tuesdays were never really about the activities.

They were about connection.

They were about trust.

They were about creating a space where students felt comfortable enough to simply be themselves.

How It Started

At the beginning of the school year, the Center for Suicide Awareness spent an entire day at Kaukauna High School introducing students to mental wellness activities, coping skills, and available resources.

What started as a single day quickly evolved into something much bigger.

Mental Health Tuesdays were created as a weekly opportunity for students to connect, learn practical coping skills, and build relationships in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

Throughout the school year, we returned every Tuesday during Flex Hour.

At the beginning of each semester, when health classes changed, we also returned to teach every health class in the school.

Class after class.

Conversation after conversation.

Student after student.

Together, we explored what coping skills actually look like in everyday life.

Not as textbook definitions.

Not as information students would memorize for a test.

But as practical tools they could use immediately.

We talked about stress.

Anxiety.

Relationships.

Family challenges.

Academic pressure.

Social media.

Self-care.

Resilience.

And what it really means to be a high school student in today's world.

The conversations were honest.

Sometimes funny.

Sometimes difficult.

Always important.

From Two Students to Fifty

When Mental Health Tuesdays first began, only two students attended.

Two.

Like any new program, we weren't sure what participation would look like.

We simply committed to showing up.

Week after week.

No pressure.

No labels.

No expectations.

Just consistency.

As the year progressed, something remarkable happened.

The students who attended kept coming back.

Even as new students were introduced to the program through health classes, the original students continued returning.

Week after week.

Month after month.

Then they started bringing friends.

What began with two students eventually grew to nearly fifty students participating during Flex Hour.

Not because attendance was required.

Not because there was extra credit.

Not because students were told they had to be there.

They came because they wanted to be there.

And that made all the difference.

 

What impressed us most wasn't the number.

It was the choice.

High school students have countless ways to spend their free time. They can meet with friends, work on assignments, participate in clubs, scroll social media, or simply take a break.

Yet week after week, students continued returning to Mental Health Tuesdays.

The growth from two students to nearly fifty wasn't the result of a requirement.

It was the result of students finding value in a space where they felt welcomed, respected, and connected.

That taught us something important:

Young people are hungry for authentic connection.

"Where Are the Ladies?"

One of the greatest compliments we received wasn't written on a survey.

It came directly from the students.

When Barb and I were gone for two weeks during state testing, students began asking teachers:

"Where are the ladies?"

Not:

"Where is the activity?"

Not:

"Where is the program?"

They wanted to know where we were.

That simple question told us everything.

The activities might have brought students through the door.

The relationships were what kept them coming back.

Over time, Mental Health Tuesdays became something students looked forward to.

A place where they knew they would be welcomed.

A place where they could laugh.

A place where they could learn.

A place where they could simply exist without judgment.

Learning Through Experience

One of the reasons Mental Health Tuesdays resonated with students was because learning didn't feel like a lecture.

It felt like an experience.

A giant game of Jenga became a discussion about feelings, strengths, coping skills, values, and self-worth.

Students wrote affirmations, answered reflection questions, and shared ideas they may never have discussed otherwise.

A sensory jar became a lesson in grounding techniques.

A bath bomb became a conversation about stress relief.

Essential oils opened discussions about self-care, focus, sleep, and mindfulness.

Students learned through doing.

And when students are engaged, they learn in ways that stick.

One of our favorite moments came when students in AP Biology started asking questions about how bath bombs work.

What began as a wellness activity quickly turned into a conversation about chemical reactions, baking soda, citric acid, and witch hazel.

At one point, students jokingly told us we explained the science better than their science teacher.

We certainly weren't trying to replace science class, but it reinforced an important lesson:

Students learn best when they're interested.

The Football Players and the Sugar Scrubs

Some of our favorite memories came from the students themselves.

The football coach once wanted to know who was teaching his players to make sugar scrubs.

The answer?

We were.

And they loved it.

Months later, football players were still talking about sugar scrub recipes.

Students learned what different essential oils were used for and created blends for relaxation, focus, sleep, stress relief, and energy.

Many made gifts for girlfriends, boyfriends, moms, dads, grandparents, friends, and even their friends' parents.

One student proudly defended his decision to make bright pink glow-in-the-dark slime.

Another walked through the room carrying a lavender project and confidently announced:

"I'm gonna be relaxed as f***."

The room erupted in laughter.

Those moments mattered.

Because they represented something bigger.

Students felt safe enough to be themselves.

They weren't worried about being judged.

They were comfortable trying new things and exploring wellness in ways that felt natural rather than clinical.

One of our favorite stories involved a group of students who created an apple-scented sugar scrub.

Instead of taking it home, they stored it in an abandoned file cabinet near their classroom.

For months afterward, students would stop by, open the cabinet, and smell the sugar scrub because they said it helped them feel calm before class.

Without realizing it, they had created their own grounding tool.

Breaking Down Barriers

One of the most unexpected outcomes was watching students connect with peers they normally wouldn't interact with.

Athletes worked alongside AP students.

Different friend groups blended together.

Students who may never have spoken to one another found themselves collaborating, laughing, competing, and sharing experiences.

Teachers noticed the difference.

One health teacher shared that some students were more engaged and better behaved during our activities than they were during many traditional classroom lessons.

Students who were often quiet participated.

Students who struggled socially found connection.

Students who seemed disconnected found a place where they belonged.

And belonging matters.

The Conversations That Mattered Most

While the activities were fun, the most meaningful moments often happened between them.

The sugar scrubs, sensory jars, games, slime, and bath bombs created the opportunity.

The conversations created the impact.

Over the course of the school year, students opened up about stress, anxiety, relationships, family challenges, academic pressures, social media, self-worth, and struggles they had been carrying quietly.

Some conversations lasted only a few minutes.

Others led to deeper discussions, additional support, and meaningful connections to resources.

The trust built through consistency created opportunities for students to talk about things they may not have shared anywhere else.

Prevention Doesn't Always Look Clinical

When people ask us about Mental Health Tuesdays, we could talk about coping skills, emotional wellness, resilience, and prevention.

And those things are certainly part of the story.

But the truth is much simpler.

We showed up.

Every Tuesday.

We listened.

We laughed.

We taught.

We learned.

And eventually, students showed up too.

Week after week.

Semester after semester.

Conversation after conversation.

Relationship after relationship.

Some came for the activities.

Some came for the snacks.

Some came because a friend invited them.

Many stayed because they found something every young person deserves:

A place where they felt welcomed.

A place where they felt connected.

A place where they knew they mattered.

The slime, sugar scrubs, bath bombs, cookies, sensory jars, and giant Jenga games were never the goal.

They were simply the tools.

The goal was always connection.

Because long before a crisis occurs, connection is prevention.

And sometimes prevention begins with something as simple as showing up, pulling up a chair, and asking a student how they're doing.

Week after week.

Conversation after conversation.

Relationship after relationship.

Because consistency builds trust.

And trust saves lives.