Aleena Nasruddin, Reporter
@anasruddincour1
This week the hallways are filled with stressed students, sleep-deprived students, and anxious students. There can only be one cause for this: midterms. A few years ago, in an attempt to counter the effects of stress, the high school implemented relaxing activities between each exam. This year the school revamped their program called the midterm wellness & enrichment activities to include the Nature Break in room 307.
Offered on all exam days, the Nature Break is a time when students can watch live footage from wildlife cameras around the world observing animals, such as brown bears, sea otters, and penguins. District nursing supervisor Janet Reed said that one of the best ways to relieve stress is by taking a 15-20 minute walk outside, getting fresh air, and looking at nature. The Nature Break is the school’s attempt to incorporate this stress-relieving tactic.
Other relaxing activities include a planetarium show on Tuesday and Thursday, grab and go snacks in the main office lobby, and petting dogs in the front lobby. More energetic activities include recreational games in the auxiliary gym, badminton and pickleball in the gymnasium, and cornhole against the principals in the front lobby.
While stress can be bothersome for some, Ms. Reed said that stress is not something to get rid of, but rather to manage. The midterm wellness and enrichment activities provide students with a variety of options to manage their stress during school hours. Assistant Principal Kristi Carriero organizes the wellness and enrichment activities each year. “I hope that these activities allow students to decompress, get in the right mindset and refocus their attention for their next exam,” Ms. Carriero said. Most of the activities are based on specific feedback that students give through a survey Ms. Carriero sends out. “We want to keep it fresh, allow different opportunities for students each time, and let students have fun, even during exams,” Ms. Carriero said.
Sophomore Ava Biasotti believes that the midterm wellness activities were a great time to decompress before her next exam. “It let me take my mind off my next exam, so I wouldn’t just be sitting around for 45 minutes stressing about the next one,” Ava said.
Ms. Reed said that she believes that students should try and maintain a positive attitude during midterm season. This would include noticing when you use negative words, such as “can’t” or “won’t,” and replacing them with a positive attitude. Ms. Reed also said that getting enough sleep, eating healthy food, and meditating can all make a difference in your stress level. “You can meditate without anybody noticing,” Ms. Reed said, “listen to your breath, quiet your thoughts, and try to calm yourself.” According to Ms. Reed, meditation is scientifically proven to lower your heart rate and calm your GI tract, so you can think more clearly.
Sleep is another factor that contributes to student’s stress. “A high school student has a lot on their plate, and sleep seems to be one of the things that they give up when they want to cram more into their day,” Ms. Reed said. “But, sleep is especially important for exams because it is when your body is restored and rejuvenated.”
“Taking the time to be with friends and family can you make you feel good and give you a chance to share your concerns with somebody,” Ms. Reed said. “Most students manage heavy course loads, sports, and extra curriculars, but you have to learn to say ‘no’ and know what your limits are.”
Ava said that her stress during midterms are caused by a mixture of the heavy workload and pressure to do well on exams. “As you get closer to the midterm season, teachers start to give out more homework to finish their units, while also giving you review packets,” Ava said. “There is a lot you need to get done, while also handling the pressure that your parents may put on you to get good grades.”
However, Thomas Suthons, a senior, believes that most of his stress leading up to midterms is peer-induced. “It seems as though a lot of people do well on their exams, which serves as my motivation to do well,” Thomas said.
Students have different ways that they view stress relief outside of school. For Thomas, it is physical activity; he goes on runs most days to calm himself. Ava, however, recommends that students get their work done as soon as possible, and leave time to go through midterm review packets given by teachers. “Spread out the work from the review packet over the course of a couple weeks, so it does not pile up a few days before the exam,” Ava said.
