Over the last couple years, there has been a surge in concern over children’s mental health. This is thought to be an effect of the pandemic, which has impacted student’s mental health across the United States. Germantown Academy is doing its part in advocating for their students’ mental health by having caring teachers who guide their students, a system to ensure a balance between learning and reduced stress, and fun activities dedicated to destress students in the school.
During the week of February 28th, Germantown Academy went mask-optional. This was a significant change for GA and greatly impacted all divisions. Ethan Star ‘25 says, “I really like the new mask-optional policy. I also think that it is very wise to allow students who aren’t comfortable with going maskless to keep on wearing masks.” I agree with this statement. I love that I am now able to see the faces of all my friends in school. I also know that people who want to protect themselves have the option to keep their mask on. I would say this helps with everyone’s mental well-being. In addition to this, GA is making sure that there are no negative comments about students’ choices surrounding masks, guaranteeing that everyone is comfortable with their personal masking choices. I believe that this is another way to protect students’ mental health. It was great to finally be able to take off my mask.
In addition to the mask policy change, the week of February 28th marked the start of GA’s mental health awareness week. I feel this week was made so people could relax during a typically stressful time of the year. It was planned near the end of the third interim, when there are high-stress levels due to many exams and papers due at this time. There were many activities that occurred during the week: a session with therapy animals, a Q&A with a therapist, a mental health vendor event, and more. Casey Traina ‘22, the president of SGA says, “the purpose of Wellness Week is to spread awareness of student’s mental health and remind students that whatever they may be going through, they’re not alone. I feel like everyone has faced some form of internal adversity over the last two years, but for many students, it’s hard to reach out for help because of the stigma that still surrounds mental health. Wellness Week strives to erase that stigma.” Regarding the specific activities, he mentions, “I would say my favorite part has got to be the therapy dogs, but the part I’m most proud of is Mini-Assemblies. It was amazing to see so many students step up out of their comfort zone and lead others in an exploration of their passion.”
One major event during wellness week was the “mini assemblies” which were organized by the Upper School and SGA. They were student and teacher run events that everyone could sign up for. Events varied from Mario Kart to cupcake decorating, and there were nearly forty options! Charlie Morris ‘25 says, “my mini assembly was dodgeball, and it was relaxing, fun and exciting at the same time. It was a great way to get away from schoolwork for a little bit.” From his words, it is clear how these mini assemblies positively contributed to Wellness Week as a whole. They provided time to relax and escape from school work. I went to the scrabble and breakfast mini assembly. Not only did I get to play a fun board game with my friends, but I also ate some pancakes and bagels. This was a great time to chill for me. I feel all of these mini assemblies have their own unique benefits for mental health, and I believe overall they were a success.
Adding to the various events that occurred during Wellness Week, there were post-it notes with affirmations on them posted around the school. Dr. Latch, GA’s upper school’s psychologist, who came up with the idea for the post-it-notes, says, “the purpose of the sticky notes is to remind students and faculty to take a moment to appreciate who they are and what they can achieve. Studies confirm that positive affirmations can fire up neural pathways and make changes to areas of the brain that make you happy and positive.” Some of her favorite affirmations were “I strive for progress not perfection,” “Today I will not stress about things I cannot control,” and “I choose to see each obstacle as an opportunity to grow.” I believe these affirmations fit well into Wellness Week, as it encourages positive thoughts; this is great for mental health. I remember when I saw one of these affirmations, it brightened up my day.From all these events, I believe Wellness Week was a success. Roma Reddy ‘25 says, “I went to the therapist session with pizza. It was interesting, and I liked it. It definitely was a great experience, and I’m looking forward to similar events.” From similar reactions about the mini assemblies and other events during Wellness Week, it is clear this school-wide event was beneficial for all the students. If possible, the only thing I would want is varying the mini-assembly times during the week, because I think people wanted to try more than one activity. Other than that, overall, Wellness Week was a great experience. I enjoyed the various activities during Wellness Week that helped me relax.
Great article