At Mayo and Century, students have a literal “happy place” they can go to when anything in their lives becomes overwhelming. They can go to the Teens Offering Peer Support (TOPS) program. The TOPS room is filled with soft lighting, calming music, comfy seating for student-to-student or student-to-advisor conversations, tables for crafting, and mental health resources galore.
New Mayo Spartan junior, Anni recounts, “At my old school, they didn’t have anything like this. They had case managers…who would basically just talk to you about your schedule and stuff like that, and most students just kept it to themselves a lot. Lots of students back at my old school would just cry in class or go to the bathroom and cry.”
Students can drop by anytime and often come by during lunch and free periods. Amanda, the Student Resiliency Specialist over the TOPS program at Mayo said,
“Our goal is to always keep it balanced with the academic piece, and that’s part of my oversight. If I have a student who is always coming in second hour, ok well, first of all, we aren’t going to pass our class that way. Second, what’s going on second hour that we can help problem solve? Or if a student is always coming in late, well do they need a ride to school, what’s happening there? So we can help problem solve things if we see patterns of behavior. But our goal is to always keep it balanced with our academics—not missing one class a lot because that isn’t going to help their mental health if they get behind…We support both equally."
Sophomores, juniors, and seniors themselves can apply, interview, and train to be Peer Supporters, and are scheduled each hour to be available in the TOPS room for those who need encouragement or guidance from a fellow student facing similar challenges during this stage of life.
TOPS is proud to offer a wide range of support in a stigma-free environment. Beyond mental health support, the SOS (Supporting Our Spartans) Room offers a more tangible support. It is filled with seasonal clothes, shoes, toiletries, and more that students can come in and “thrift” for free. Mayo even makes a point to stock free school spiritwear to foster inclusion.
While there have been other mental health support programs in the past, the TOPS program at Mayo was established in 2019 following the tragic suicide of a student in 2018. It was a wake-up call for the school to provide more mental health support so students don’t slip through the cracks. The program has gotten stronger every year.
Stevie found out about TOPS from the posters in the hallway. He has enjoyed connecting with Amanda as well as Peer Supporters like Sam and Sadie. “Peer Supporters are really nice and great helpers. They have a lot of know-how on subjects we talk about. Obviously not everybody is the same, because some people will relate to your situation more than others.” Stevie also enjoys origami and making keychains at TOPS. “It gives people a space to relax and ease stress. After I visit, I go about my day and feel a lot better.”
Mayo and Century’s TOPS programs truly give students amazing support that is key to their flourishing.