Thursday, October 1, 2026
Eight Oceanside High School students are helping their peers manage stress on and off the field after completing a yearlong mental health training program through a partnership with Northwell Health.
Nevaeh Cameron, Kevin Fernandez, Kathryn Isabella Martin, Connor Greenberg, Noelle Iacopelli, Candace Martin, Kathryn Patton and Kyla Hanratty serve as Cohen Strong Mental Health Ambassadors at Oceanside High School. The initiative is overseen by school psychologist and Wellness Center Coordinator Dr. Nina Weisenreder, student dean Nicole Conneally and health teacher Sara Dowler.
Throughout the year, the students attended virtual evening sessions led by Northwell mental health professionals, including sports psychologist Dr. Deborah Roche. Topics ranged from advocacy and career pathways in mental health to practical strategies for supporting peers. All eight students also earned Teen Mental Health First Aid certification.
Each year, the Cohen Strong cohort identifies a need within the school community and develops a project to address it. This year, the ambassadors focused on athlete stress and performance pressure.
In February, they attended an after-school workshop hosted by the Wellness Center and the Oceanside Athletics Department, where Dr. Roche introduced coping strategies, goal-setting techniques, grounding exercises and methods for breaking out of performance slumps. The session helped shape the group’s goal of bringing mental performance tools directly to student athletes.
The ambassadors created bilingual English and Spanish brochures and posters featuring mental performance strategies from the workshop. The materials were distributed in locker rooms and posted in Google Classrooms for health classes, coaches and the Wellness Center. The resources emphasize focus, positive thinking and stress management techniques that can be used in both athletics and academics.
“We focused on sports psychology,” said Kevin Fernandez, one of the ambassadors, “but the techniques work for academic stress, too, or any stress.”
At the end of April, the ambassadors hosted an interactive lobby event to showcase the campaign. Students between classes participated in a Jeopardy-style quiz and activities such as ring toss, all designed to reinforce the sports psychology concepts. The event drew steady participation throughout the day as students engaged with the materials and strategies.
