NEWS
Wellness Week Encourages Student Self-Care
Wellness Week Encourages Student Self-Care
Wellness Week Encourages Student Self-Care
Student leaders direct wellness activities and programming.
“How are you?” Ms. Carrie Smith, human development coordinator, asked this question to the student body in the All-School Meeting on Friday November 11. This was a guiding question for the introduction of Wellness Week, which consisted of a series of activities to learn about health and wellness on campus during the week of No-ember 14. This included All-School speakers, dorm cohort talks, and club meetings.
The school has hosted several “Wellness Days” in the past, but this year, the Student Wellness Committee, consisting of both faculty and administrators, offered additional programming. Organized by Ms. Smith and Ms. Jodi von Jess, director of counseling, Wellness Week offered a variety of events designed to support stu- dents’ physical and mental well-being.
All students gathered by dorm cohorts on Monday afternoon to kick off Wellness Week with a healthy snack and discussions about student health, facilitated by proctors and faculty. Throughout the week, many participating clubs planned their own workshops to promote student and community wellness. On Tuesday, Peer Listeners hosted a fishbowl to discuss mental health and ways to promote student well-being, as well as direct students to helpful resources.
St. Luke’s Society organized a workshop for students to write letters to members of the community whose work often goes unseen, such as the Dining Hall and house-keeping staff. Lucy Jervis ’23, a co-head of St. Luke’s, said, “We hope that this will brighten [staff members’] days and show them that students care about them.”
BC2M hosted a meeting focused on helping athletes find a healthy balance between the extremes of excessive workouts and inadequate training. Gracie Beatty ’24, co-head of BC2M, said, “I think [mental health among athletes] is especially important, because there has been a significant increase in suicidal thoughts and actions [amongst] athletes [in the world in general].”
Many other clubs also put on displays in the Main Building with tips and notes about mental health awareness as well as general wellness. For example, Food is Fuel, a club that promotes healthy eating, put up suggestions for healthy meals in the dining hall.
Yixi Zou is a staff writer for The Record.