Mental Health Day

This past Sunday was World Mental Health Day. The goal of this day is to spread awareness and educate people on the significance of mental health. While the message of this day is important to everyone regardless of age, it should be specifically emphasized to adolescents. As mental health becomes less and less stigmatized, more discussions about how we can improve student wellbeing within our school are taking place.

It seems obvious that, as students, we are not fully grown, adults. However, we constantly deal with adult issues, in addition to the stress of academic pressure. This applies to all students on every academic track as they try to maintain low-stress levels and an overall healthy mentality.

While many things can add to the quality of mental health within our school, we already have some programs established to help the students. For example, Dr. London is on-site if anyone needs guidance or someone to talk to. In addition, advisory offers a safe space that focuses on developing good habits and improving the emotional well-being of students.

Despite there being advisory and school psychologists, I believe there needs to be more concrete initiatives put in place to ensure the students feel cared for as individuals, outside of their assignments and workload. Some programming that may help increase mental health awareness throughout our school are workshops, lectures, and surveys given to students and teachers recording stress levels and overall wellness. Surveys can offer the school important insight into how students and teachers are doing and what areas they can improve in. From there, we can build up a strong foundation for mental health within the school.

By: Ali Smith (11th Grade)