Matters of the mind 

As a member of the 1977 Cedar Shoals graduating class, mental health counselor Kizzy Wingfield has returned to her roots by providing mental health services to students and families at her alma mater.

“I provide support with transitioning to high school, stress, anxiety, depression and loss of a loved one,” Wingfield said.

Wingfield assists students and families with mental health needs and leads restorative justice initiatives at Cedar, including groups with students, mental health support and conflict resolution.

“My passion for helping students is just a bright spot in my day. It makes me come here and help students understand that they are not alone and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be mentally well,” Wingfield said. 

Wingfield attended Albany State University, where she received a B.S. degree in psychology and then a master’s degree in education with a concentration in psychology and counseling at Troy University. 

Before coming to Cedar Shoals she acquired experience working in mental health and social services fields. A former teacher influenced Wingfield’s decision to return to Athens, motivating her to give that same impact to current students. 

“I had a teacher named Shirley Daniels. She gave me a lot of love and support and most of all she was a listening ear for me during my transitional years,” Wingfield said.  

Wingfield runs programs including Wellness With Wingfield, Mental Wellness Youth Advisory Council, and the Drug Prevention Program: Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).

The Wellness with Wingfield program provides managing stress, healthy relationships communicating with others, conflict resolution, and self-esteem/self image, anger Management, positive mindset building, goal setting, time management, and ways to reduce anxiety. 

For students who are asking themselves how to start getting help for mental health, Wingfield has a simple and common suggestion. 

“I would always tell them to find someone they can talk to whether that’s a counselor, parent, or trusted adult and for them to be open to learning strategies to help regulate stress,” Wingfield said.

Social worker Angela Gay works alongside Wingfield. Splitting time between Howard B. Stroud Elementary and Cedar and for 15 years, Gay goes beyond mental health. 

Attending the University of Georgia after graduating from Cedar in 1988, Gay has acquired a long list of experience working with children who need support. She has also noticed a trend with students after the pandemic occurred: students have been feeling more anxious, depressed or just feeling lonely, causing less socialization with fellow students and peers. 

“I’ve seen a lot more students feeling anxious, dealing with depression, or even just feeling more isolated. They have trouble socializing with other people and just adjusting to being back in the building right after the pandemic. Virtual learning is not for everyone,” Gay said. 

Gay helps run Girls with P.E.A.R.L.S., Student Government Association and more. Girls with P.E.A.R.L.S. is a program catered to uplift students and spread awareness about topics relevant to youth by helping them reach their full potential.  

Through Girls with P.E.A.R.L.S, senior Tatyana Coleman says Gay has impacted her throughout high school to succeed by working with her since sophomore year. 

“I’ve gone to Ms. Gay for scholarship help, and during meetings I’ll go to her for one-on-one conversations about college and Girls with P.E.A.R.L.S. She helped me get out of my shell,” Coleman said.

Studies have shown that students who have mental health issues are more likely to have problems academically, socially, emotionally and with peer relationships. 

“Mental health is just as important as physical health. Mental health is important for students because your mental health fits every part of you. It’s important to make sure you’re mentally well and healthy and know (what) your triggers or boundaries (are),” Wingfield said. 

A National Institute of Mental Health longitudinal study in 2023 of 163 teenagers in San Francisco assessed subjects before the pandemic and after stay-at-home policies began in March 2020. Teenagers assessed after the pandemic shutdowns reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression and greater internalizing problems, showing older brain ages than adolescents assessed before the pandemic. Their brains showed the structure of their nervous system has features more typical of older people or those who experienced chronic stress or adversity in childhood.

“The role of the pandemic is that students lose that ability of connection and a lot of social skills. The first good thing was that students were excited to see their friends again, but I think a lot of communication is through text or social media and that human connection piece is missing,”  Wingfield said. “We have a lot of families and students suffering from losses during the pandemic so we definitely offer grief support groups and also groups on how to communicate with peers.”   

Schools play a huge role in providing support not only for educational purposes, but also social and mental health assistance. Support from schools, and communities help and protect students from potentially devastating consequences within their lives. 

“The district does a lot of hard work and support around mental health awareness ensuring that schools have mental health counselors and mental health is a priority and what schools are doing on a school level,” Wingfield said.