Student Support Services

Students in science lab


At North, we pride ourselves on offering a robust array of social-emotional supports to our students on-site at no cost to them or their families. These supports include individual therapy with credentialed partner providers (Denver Health, and Maria Droste Counseling Center), group interventions with school-based mental health team members, and referrals to more intensive community-based supports when appropriate. Please fill out the survey if you believe your student would benefit from more targeted support from our counseling and mental health teams.

You can also reach out to our Mental Health Team Lead, Meghan O’Connor, with any additional questions or concerns. She can be reached during normal school hours at 720-423-2751 or meghan_oconnor@dpsk12.net.


If your student or someone else you care about is experiencing a mental health crisis, calling 1-844-493-8255 or texting TALK to 38255 will connect you to a licensed mental health provider. This service is available 24/7.

In the case of imminent risk to self or others, please call 911 or take your student to the nearest emergency room.

Additionally, Safe2Tell is a resource available to students and their parents/guardians to anonymously report non-emergency concerns including mental health difficulties, non-specific threats, and bullying. Reports can be submitted 24/7 by calling 1-877-542-7233 or visiting safe2tell.org.


When Does a Young Person Need Services?
 Look For Warning Signs of Teenage Mental Illness

The following information has been taken from www.verywellmind.com

Distinguishing a mental illness from hormonal changes, teenage phases, and normal mood swings becomes a challenge. But it’s important to monitor your teen’s mood and behavior and if you notice changes that interfere with your teen’s daily life, it likely isn’t normal. Mental illness presents differently in different people. Some warning signs of teenage mental illness include (but are not limited to) these behaviors.

  • Changes in sleep habits – Your teen may complain of insomnia or she might start taking naps after school. Wanting to stay in bed all day or stay up all night may also be signs of a problem.
  • Loss of interest in usual activities – If your teen quits her favorite activities, or shows a lack of interest in spending time with friends, she may be experiencing a problem.
  • Major changes in academic performance – Mental health issues often lead to dramatic changes in motivation to do school work. If your teen has lost interest in doing her homework, or she suddenly falls behind in school, it could be a sign of a problem.
  • Weight or appetite changes – Skipping meals, hoarding food, and rapid changes in weight could be a sign of an eating disorder. Depression is often characterized by weight changes as well.
  • Extreme moodiness – Excessive anger, unexpected weeping, and high levels of irritability can be a sign of a mental illness.
  • Increased isolation – A strong desire to be alone or excessive secrecy may be a sign of a problem.

Non-Emergency Resources:

About Adolescence

Adolescence is a time of immense changes for high school students. It can be a time of both disorientation and discovery. The transitional period can bring up issues of independence and self-identity; many adolescents and their peers face tough choices regarding schoolwork, sexuality, drugs, alcohol, and social life. Peer groups, romantic interests and external appearance tend to naturally increase in importance for some time during a teen’s journey toward adulthood.

Adolescence is a transitional period that requires special attention and protection. Physically, children go through a number of changes while they mature. We now know that the brain undergoes quite substantial developments in early adolescence, which affect emotional skills as well as physical and mental abilities. Adolescence is also when gender norms are either solidified, rejected or transformed. As adolescent girls and boys grow, they take on additional responsibilities, experiment with new ways of doing things and push for independence. It is a time in which values and skills are developed that have a great impact on well-being.

Evidence shows that when adolescents are supported and encouraged by caring adults, along with policies and services attentive to their needs and capabilities, they have the potential to break long-standing cycles of poverty, discrimination and violence.

North High offers a spectrum of wrap-around Student Support services to assist our students during this period of change. In addition to the systems and staff members listed below, North students benefit from the many community partners working with our students on a daily basis.

About Restorative Practices

The Student Support Team’s philosophy is based on Restorative Practice. Restorative Practice is grounded in the guiding principle that everyone has a voice in any situation of wrong doing. Restorative Practice supports thriving relationships, student voice and accountability among students, their peers, and educators.  While there are often consequences for wrong doing, reparation of harm is used in place of suspension as often as circumstances allow.

What are Restorative Circles? The Circle is a structured dialog process that nurtures connections and empathy, while honoring the uniqueness of each participant. The Circle can hold pain, joy, despair, hope, anger, love, fear, and paradox. In the Circle, each person has the opportunity to speak his/her truth but cannot assume the truth for anyone else. Circles that are held seek to repair harm that has been done, create communities and welcome all, or simply inform a community about a certain topic.

North High School is on the cutting edge of how we support our students with Restorative Practice and adopted Restorative Practices in 2006 as part of the DPS pilot initiative. Read the June, 2019, NEA Today article about RP at North High.

Click for additional articles on Restorative Practice. “Restorative Practices in Schools” and “Restorative Practices in Schools for Discipline, Explained”.  


Mental Health Team

North Mental Health Team

School psychologists and school social workers are uniquely qualified members of school teams who provide direct educational, behavioral, and mental health services for children and youth, as well as work with families, school administrators, educators, and other professionals to create supportive learning and social environments for all students. School Social Workers and School Psychologists have expertise and training in mental health, learning, and behavior.   

Please visit our website for more information on our initiatives at North, as well as resources for you and your family. 


North Mental Health Team Members:

For questions about mental health resources at North or to request assistance for your student, please complete the social-emotional check-in form by CLICKING HERE.

Last Names A-DL: Meghan O’Connor, School Psychologist, Team Lead

Last Names DM-H: Tim Farrow, School Psychologist

Last Names I-Mi: Amy Tedoff, School Social Worker

Last Names Mo-R: Julia Bartolo, School Psychologist

Last Names S-Z: Victoria Gorgemans, School Social Worker

victoria_gorgemans@dpsk12.net, 720-423-2899

Maria Hite, Prevention & Therapeutic Specialist

School Health Professional, Substance Use/Abuse Support: Sarah Thomas, School Health Professional

Victoria Mancinelli, School Social Worker, 18-21 Program

victoria_mancinelli@dpsk12.net, 720-423-2858

Non-Emergency Resources:

If you believe you or your student is experiencing a mental health crisis please contact 911 or go to your nearest crisis center.

The North High Culture Team (Deans and Student Support Liaisons)

The Deans and Student Support Liaisons at North are an integral part of our school community. Our Student Support Team comes with 35+ years of combined experience in education. The Student Support Team’s philosophy is based on Restorative Practice. Restorative Practice is grounded in the guiding principle that everyone has a voice in any situation of wrong doing. Restorative Practice supports thriving relationships, student voice and accountability among students, their peers, and educators.  While there are often consequences for wrong doing, reparation of harm is used in place of suspension as often as circumstances allow. North High School works to keep all students in the classroom accessing their education but at times suspension may be used. Deans, Student Support Liaisons and North High’s larger Student Support Team recognize the value in finding the root cause for behaviors and will work with your family on identifying resources that may be of assistance if your child struggles with his or her behavior and/or attendance.

North High School Culture Team

Class of Supports:

2027: Dean Manny Marquez (manuel_marquez1@dpsk12.net) and Student Support Lead Alyssa Perez

2026: Dean Stormye Everett (stormye_everett@dpsk12.net) and Student Support Lead AJ Carter

2025: Dean Marisa Lucio (marisa_lucio@dpsk12.net) and Student Support Lead Suzanne Maps

2024: Dean Mack Gaddis (stephaun_gaddis@dpsk12.net) and Student Support Lead Val Finn 

Reflection/ISS Room: Kyle Allison

Assistant Principal overseeing Culture Team: Elizabeth Laughlin

Advisory

Advisory is key to the close-knit, family culture at North. At North High School we believe it is crucial that EVERY SINGLE STUDENT feels connected to and supported by at least one adult in our community; additionally we want to make sure that every student has a small group of peers who they can get to know well and build supportive, positive relationships with throughout the year. Advisory is this support for students; during Advisory we work to build character skills, study and organizational skills, and strengthen our community through empathy building activities and helping each student to value the differences of our student body.

Students meet with their small Advisory class and teacher weekly for 50 minutes. Advisory teachers focus on establishing close relationships with their students and getting to know their students’ families as well. Students are able to forge friendships with students from different backgrounds and outside their usual group of friends.

GT/HGT at North

North High School

North High School believes in every student. In fact, our mission statement emphasizes our end goal as “catalyzing the academic and personal success of all students.” Part of this work is also innovating and implementing systems that may not be in every traditional high school. 

At North, we have created a GT team composed of educators, administrators, support staff and an itinerant GT specialist. The goal of this team is to inform ourselves and our staff members on best practices in identifying and supporting all students who are under the umbrella of Gifted and Talented—this can mean Highly Gifted and Talented, Gifted and Talented, Twice Exceptional, and those in the talent pool. 

We have piloted GT programming through Advisement class and have grown that program to include GT-specific advisement groups at all grade levels.  With the support of Advisement mentors and our new GT Itinerant, students will create their ALP, learn to advocate for themselves, and receive intentional social-emotional education to meet the needs of advanced learners.  Our GT team will be providing yearlong support and ALP goal monitoring while building the capacity of staff to ensure all of our students’ success is catalyzed.

Behavior Interventions at North

We know that students thrive in environments where there are high expectations, high stability and structure, and high levels of consistency.  As we have set up North’s behavioral intervention systems and structures, we have kept each of these values in mind striving to create a robust, sustainable intervention system that support us in maintaining a productive and positive school environment.