Newington High School expands grant-funded mental health program; students report reduced substance use and high anxiety

Newington School District officials and students described a two-year, grant-funded mental health program at Newington High School that combines a classroom seminar, one-on-one counseling and schoolwide prevention efforts.

The program is led by former Spanish teacher and current SEL counselor Miss Redmond, who told the Newington Board of Education the role includes a mental health seminar course, substance-use education and counseling, and planning schoolwide programs. Redmond said the seminar has been full and produced a wait list; she expects additional sections next year to meet demand.

Board members heard why the district funded a counselor focused on prevention and early intervention. Redmond summarized student survey findings and class activities: "anxiousness has been at the top both years in a row," and students also commonly reported feeling exhausted, distracted and self-critical. She told the board that in a 2023 advisory survey about 652 students responded; she also later referenced two follow-up surveys with 457 online responses and 507 paper responses after a school assembly. Dr. Brummet stressed the scale of need: "56.7 percent of students report being anxious," and added…