Meet Téa and Claire: A Dynamic 15-year-old Duo Working to Bring the Benefits of Spending More Time Outside to More Kids
- Colleen Cronin
- May 12
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 11
Téa Sims and Claire Otanicar are two Boise High School sophomores. Téa is on the cross-country and track teams, loves to snowboard and is interested in helping others by going into the medical field. Claire is a skier, plays viola in the orchestra and is passionate about making a difference in her community. Their parents and teachers would definitely classify them as “go-getters” or “teens who are on the right track.”
And yet … sometimes they long to feel free of so many obligations, expectations and pressure.
And that’s why they’ve worked with Boise High’s Garden Club in partnership with Idaho Clinicians for Climate and Health, the sponsor organization for their project, and Cathedral of the Rockies, to envision a new outdoor green space for students. Their goal for this new space? For more kids to experience the mental health benefits of spending more time outside and less time inside, in what often feels like a relentless pressure cooker.
“At the end of last year, we had what’s called a 'suicide epidemic' in the Boise School District. And it shook us up. So we wanted to make a space where students could get outside more and experience the mental health benefits that come with spending more time outside.” ~Téa Sims
You. Me. We. All Interviews Téa and Claire, Boise High Sophomores and founders of a new Garden Project between Boise High and North Junior High
Q: Why did you want to help create a multipurpose green space in between Boise High and North Junior High?
Téa: After the suicide epidemic in Boise last year in 2024, it became clear that teen mental health was something really important and something that needs to be cared for. And the response from the schools was not ideal because everyone was in shock and not sure what to do. Basically, the teachers made an announcement and that was kind of it.
We decided we wanted to do something, to create a space where all students would feel welcome and be able to get outside more and experience the many proven mental health benefits that come with spending more time outside.
Claire: We wanted to create a multi-purpose space where you could come get professional mental health support in a beautiful setting instead of a noisy school. We also wanted it to be a space where kids could learn about the environment and gardening, have one of their classes be held outside – or even just eat lunch outside – in a beautiful, green space close to school.
And so we reached out to Cathedral of the Rockies who owns the plot of land behind their church downtown, a large green garden space between 11th and 12th Streets and Hayes and Fort Streets. And they immediately wanted to support the project.
NOTE: Since the suicide epidemic, the Boise School District has built on its existing mental health support system by strengthening communication, expanding resources, and creating an online mental health hub where students, families, and staff can easily find help.
Q: What do you think happens when kids spend more time outside?
Téa: For me, I was a gymnast for many years. And I spent many, many hours inside – in gyms. Looking back now, I realized it took a toll on my mental health. But after I quit and started snowboarding more and hanging out with my friends more, I noticed I started to feel better.
Claire: For me, it’s just always nice after a day of school to just go outside and relax. It doesn’t have to be a “workout” or outdoor activity – it can just be deciding to do my homework outside.
“Being outside has always been a place where I feel I can detox – and just … be myself.” ~ Claire Otanicar
Q: Why do you think a lot of kids around you are struggling with their mental health?
Tea: Colleges have also gotten a lot pickier than they were for my parents’ generation. You have to excel that much more to have a shot at a good school. You have to take every AP class – and have all the test scores, grades and extracurriculars. It’s a lot. And then there’s the phones and social media too. So I’ll have a ton of homework to do and come home and pick up my phone to take a short break and then not realize that more than an hour has passed. But I still have five assignments to do and it’s time for dinner and oh, I also need to go to bed at a decent hour and get good sleep. It’s very hard to balance it all.
At Boise High, there’s a lot of pressure to have good grades and also do a ton of extracurriculars. And there’s not much time to just do something for yourself. ~ Claire Otanicar
What would happen if we celebrated overcoming challenges more than getting good grades? (Click on Instagram post below)
Q: What do you have planned for the new multipurpose green space so far?
Téa: We plan to have most of the renovation done for the new space by the end of this 2025 school year. That includes getting the outdoor classroom set up and having two therapy pods, which will be these secluded green spaces with arched trellises and plant-lined “walls” that can be used for one-on-one counseling sessions for students – or even community members. We’re also partnering with a local artist, Wendy Blickenstaff, to create some art for the walls of the Therapy pods.
We’re also working with the childcare center KASP, which is part of Cathedral of the Rockies who owns the actual land the outdoor garden space is on. Pre-schoolers from KASP have already been coming here to plant and harvest from their dedicated “kinder beds.”
Claire: We hope our opening party on May 21, 2025 will help us spread more awareness at both North Junior High and Boise High, and then we’ll develop forms teachers can fill out to “reserve” the outdoor classroom. And we plan to schedule food trucks to come during lunch periods for Boise High students to decompress, hang out – and have some different lunch options.
Téa: We’re hoping that as more people become aware of the space, more people will want to help out with our Garden Club at school – or organize a group of kids to weed for a few hours. Because this place is always going to need volunteers to help look after it and care for it. As a school organization, we can’t afford to hire anyone, so community involvement is going to be key to the project thriving for years to come.
Interested in getting involved? Contact IDAHOCCH@gmail.com.
Q: Who’ve been some of your partners for this multipurpose green space?
Téa: We’re both part of the Garden Club at Boise High which meets at lunch during the school day. And being part of that club has given us dedicated time and support to meet and plan. Our environmental sciences teacher at Boise High, Erik Quissell, has been very involved and supportive as the Garden Club’s sponsor. We couldn't have done this project without our partners – Idaho Clinicians for Climate and Health as our main sponsor who's been really supportive, and Cathedral of the Rockies who has been great to work with too.
We’ve reached out to lots of people at Boise High and North too – and also people in the community too to donate things and ask for help, and that’s been a big learning experience. The Art Club here at Boise High is going to paint a mural for our shed. We’ve also been working with a BSU intern to reach out to companies for support and help with grant writing.
Q: You received a grant from the City of Boise to help launch this project. Tell us more about that.
Téa: We applied for the Youth Climate Action Fund from the City of Boise (which is funded by Bloomberg) and were awarded 2 grants to help cover the costs of supplies to build out the Therapy Pods, install recycled plastic benches, build out the outdoor classroom space, plant more plants, and upgrade the irrigation system.
Claire: We're also working with the Treasure Valley Beekeepers Association to have bee hives in the garden space, so people can learn how to maintain a hive. And we're hoping that we can eventually sell the honey from the hives and use that money to keep improving and maintaining the space.
Q: What’s your experience been when a class is held outside?
Téa: We’ve already had a few chemistry lessons outside this year and there’s just something about being in a new environment and tapping into all of your senses that helps you focus more and enjoy learning more.
We want the outdoor classroom to be something where all the materials are already there – with an enclosed whiteboard, markers and clipboards, so teachers will just need to walk over with students and bring their lesson plan.
I am just automatically more engaged when class is held outside. It’s so nice to have a change of pace and it somehow makes things more interesting. ~ Claire Otanicar
Q: What are some of the other ways Boise High is supporting teen mental health?
Claire: As of this year, we now have Hope Squad at Boise High, which is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program. Students can nominate other students who they feel like are safe and they trust to talk to. And then those nominated students form a class and become a group of people who are trained to reach out to other students who may need support. It’s a national program that’s really cool.
Téa: And there’s something called “Brave Wednesdays,” where time is allotted during 4th period to focus on mental health strategies like managing stress or prioritizing your time.
Other programs offered at Boise High include:
Signs of Suicide: A suicide prevention curriculum.
BroncoBold: An awareness campaign for student athletes to promote student well-being and mental health.
Mental Health First Aid: A training that teaches adults how to recognize and respond to mental health crises.
Q: What do you think parents need to hear or do differently these days?
Téa: I think as long as a kid is trying their best, that is enough. And if a kid doesn't understand or like a certain subject, they maybe shouldn’t have to take it – and they certainly shouldn't have to get an A in it. And, if a kid is not getting an A, it may be that a kid doesn’t fully understand that subject – not that they’re being lazy.
"The biggest thing I wish more parents would realize is that they need to let up on the academic pressure around SATs, extracurriculars and grades." ~ Téa Sims
Claire: I think parents should focus on helping their kids find something they like – or even truly love – so they have something that boosts their happiness and mental health. And that doesn’t have to be sports. It might be a club – just a place and space where they really like to be. It doesn’t even have to be any big deal. Like I get super hyped about “Cake club” on Friday at Boise High. And all it really is is getting a free slice of cake on Fridays. It’s just simple, pure fun.
Resources to learn more
You. Me. We. All: Initiative for Meaningful Learning and Connections in the Outdoors
You. Me. We. All: resources for Upstream Suicide Prevention
Communities for Youth: Boise Initiative
Boise School District: Mental Health & Well-Being Services and Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention Resources
Book: Life Under Pressure: The Social Roots of Youth Suicide and What to Do about Them by Anna Mueller and Seth Abrutyn
YouTube: Authors Anna Mueller and Seth Abrutyn in Conversation with Malcolm Gladwell: Life Under Pressure
Article: 3 ways getting outside into nature helps improve your health
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