Dallas students host mental health fair to help classmates

DALLAS - Students at the Harmony Science Academy in Dallas are reaching out to help their classmates at a school mental health fair. It's a way for them to relieve the stress of high school life.

Junior Erika Miranda said it’s the second year that students have organized the event for students. They set up stations with things like play dough, puzzles, origami, coloring books, letter writing and more.

“You can pop a balloon to pop the stigma around mental health. You can make your own stress ball. We’re doing this to sorta give the students a chance to de-stress some of the pressures of school and all the hard work that comes with it,” Miranda said.

The event is also meant to promote mental health awareness and encourages conversations about the topic. The National Alliance on Mental Illness helped provide resources and a local crisis center provided screenings for students.

“A lot of us, we have a lot of issues and stress in our life. But this is really a wonderful opportunity for our students. So they organized these kind of activities. They love to help our students. They love to... they want to start awareness of mental issues in their homes and at school. So this is a wonderful opportunity,” said Principal Omer Toycu.

Principal Toycu said he’s seen a lot of happy faces on campus this year. He thinks all the effort has been working and he hopes it will continue, possibly even spread to other Harmony schools.

“I’m proud of my students,” he said.