Between homework, clubs, applying to college, sports, and trying to have a decent social life, students have a lot to deal with every day. Trying to juggle all of these activities creates a significant amount of stress for students. On top of that, many students do a not get enough sleep. All of these factors make for poor mental health among students. Thankfully, there are some new opportunities to help SHS students manage their mental stress.

Wellness Wednesdays and Free Your Mind Fridays were put together by the Health and Wellness Department Chair, Mr. Renieri, Community Service Learning students Lauren Shea, Kyle Kenney, Sydney Anderson, and Makenna Carroll, and Be Well Studios in Scituate Harbor. These events offer students an outlet for their stress. On the late start Wednesdays, students can attend yoga taught by the staff of Be Well Studios in the large gym at 7:45 a.m. On Fridays during H block, students can relax and clear their minds by attending a meditation session in the main office conference room.

Lauren Shea said her community service learning group wanted to help organize these programs to give students a break. According to Shea, more students are attending each week. “Everybody seems to really enjoy it and thinks it’s a healthy and positive way to start off their Wednesday mornings and end their Friday afternoons,” said Shea.

Recently, there has been an increased focus on student mental health at Scituate High School. The district has adopted new district wellness goals, which is why students were asked to participate in a recent Boston University Wellness Survey. Although many students found the survey annoying and tedious, it is a part of the district-wide plan to help address student stress and other emotional concerns. This increased concern for mental health among students has become a trend for other schools as well.

At Dover-Sherborn High School, students were given a homework-free Thanksgiving break as part of their Challenge Success program. Challenge Success helps the Dover-Sherborn school community think differently about how students can reach their goals while reducing their workload. A similar plan could be adopted at SHS, as teachers, administration, and students continue to work on finding ways to improve student wellness.

“One of the goals with the district improvement plan is to take advantage of the new schedule to give students a chance to unwind,” said Mr. Renieri. Feel Good Fridays and Wellness Wednesdays seem to be the start of some new improvements at SHS that will help students manage stress. Mr. Renieri hopes to continue these programs through March and wants to hear students’ thoughts and suggestions about other things that can be implemented as stress coping tools in the future.

Students who are busy running from class to class while taking mental notes about homework, after school clubs, and college plans may forget that taking a break is important for maintaining good mental health. Meditating or doing yoga while participating in Wellness Wednesday or Free Your Mind Friday is one way SHS students can hit the pause button and slow down for a few minutes.