On a crisp fall day, peer counselors and ambassadors from high schools across Poudre School District came together for the annual Peer Summit. This event deepens high school students' understanding of mental health and equips them with skills to support their peers.
This year, the Peer Summit took a new direction, offering students a unique experience at Colorado Youth Outdoors. Instead of the traditional sessions, students participated in activities like archery, fishing, and more.
The fresh air and hands-on activities taught more than outdoor skills—students learned valuable lessons in patience, teamwork, and resilience, all key to supporting mental well-being and helping their peers.
Throughout the day, students shared their insights and experiences from this hands-on summit and why mental health matters.
Hugo Gonzales – Senior, Centennial High School
Q: What is one thing that you wish more people knew or understood about mental health?
A: I wish for people to be more understanding of mental health in general, honestly. I think we should just be more open about that.
Kailyn Reinke – Senior, Fort Collins High School
Q: What was your day like at the Peer Summit?
A: I think I've learned a lot. One of the best parts was meeting all the people from different schools. I think it's a cool chance to connect with all the different schools that we don't really get to see. We learned about patience, survival skills, and different ways to improve as a peer counselor at my school.
Lily Siple – Senior, Fossil Ridge High School
Q: Why is mental health important to you?
A: It's one of the most important things. A lot of people can be struggling with mental health, and you would just never know. It's something that's a very invisible issue. I think it's really important to talk about it and do activities like these, because if we don't, then, we might never understand what we're going through, what other people are going through, and how to support each other when we can.
Addison Marciano – Junior, Poudre Global Academy
Q: How was your experience at the Peer Summit?
A: I haven't been to Peer Summit in previous years. This is my first time. It's really fun. I've met a lot of great people, and I've learned a lot of different survival skills. It’s a great community, and it’s nice being here.
Bella Bain – Junior, Poudre High School
Q: What did you learn this year at the Peer Summit?
A: I learned a lot about goal setting and how being in a community and asking for help is really important in getting to where you want to go. Even stuff like archery can help you learn how to become a better friend and peer in general. I think it will help me lead my freshman students.
Nathan Woodall – Senior, Rocky Mountain High School
Q: Why does mental health matter to you?
A: It matters because it's something that everyone has to deal with at some point in their lives, probably multiple points. I'm in a position where I can help out, and that's a huge thing for me because everyone has to deal with it, and if you're not well equipped for it, then bad things can happen.
Caiden Kehm – Sophomore, Timnath Middle-High School
Q: Why is mental health important to you?
A: Mental health is important to me because, as a leader, you can't really help others if you're not in a good mental place and stable. Otherwise, you will negatively affect others.
Molly Comer – Senior, Wellington Middle-High School
Q: What has your experience been like at the Peer Summit?
A: It's awesome being a peer ambassador; I love doing it. I remember the Peer Summit last year. It was quite similar, but we didn't get to do as many cool activities. I think this is so beneficial because last year, we obviously learned about (mental health), but we didn't actually get to do activities to experience it, you know? I thought it was really awesome to do archery and learn how that connects to goals and how these other activities connect to things too. It's awesome to connect the two experiences.