Caroline Castle, Reporter
@ccastlecourant
As students, we are surrounded by the stress of AP classes, extracurricular activities, and school in general. If you think of yourself for a moment, you could probably come up with a considerate amount of stressors. A couple weeks ago, NCHS took part in an activity that reflected students’ stress in their Connections classes. They wrote down what they struggled with, created a paper airplane, and threw it across the room to represent a release of the stress they felt. For some people, they wrote down a few points that created tension in their mind, but for most, they had an ongoing list of ten or more things that made them stressed out. It is safe to say that school is one of the biggest factors that creates a dark cloud that hangs over students’ heads.
The NCHS community has taken large steps in trying to make the high school a stress-free environment. Changes like the Beautification Project and the new Collaboration room have been put into effect to create a positive place where students feel safe and happy.
But are these changes enough to create a healthy environment where there is a healthy amount of stress? Junior Eliza Farley feels as though stress is an inevitable thing, but can be managed. “I’ve always had a lot on my plate, so taking a bunch of classes and sports has never seemed like a big deal,” she said. “The main issue is time management. Stress builds up because of time required per class, not because of workload, especially now that I am taking an extra science class.”
However, school-related stress is only part of the problem. “Extracurriculars do add to the stress of time management because sports like soccer require up to 7 hours of my day, with bus rides and games and banquets. Still, I enjoy all the extracurriculars so I don’t mind finding the time,” Eliza said.
Stress is a difficult thing to deal with, but it is also something that can be moderated and controlled. Science teacher Jeffrey Brentson believes that stress from taking higher level courses is something that is created by your own personal decision to take the class. “I think students here set really high standards for themselves and a lot of times stress is a self inflicted by mismanagement of time,” he said. “Stress that results from taking higher level classes is, again, self inflicted, you bit off more than you could chew. I find that students that are perhaps in over their head because they chose to do an honors class or were pushed into an honors class.”
The administration takes the topic of stress very seriously. William Egan is making strides to ensure that the administration of the high school is aware of some of the most stressful times for students, such as due dates for Early Decisions for college applications. “As a staff we are aware of this issue and taking steps toward recognizing that,” he said. “In connections, the whole emphasis for the year is really on student stress and how we handle this issue and find ways that we can limit it. We take the issue of student stress very seriously and we’re just trying to find the best way to do it instead of just a blanket, like ‘okay there’s no homework this weekend’. It makes everyone feel good, but I think it’s a bigger issue than that,” he said.
Mr. Egan wants students to know that the school is here to help manage and decrease stress levels. “If somebody feels stressed, a student should understand the resources that they have here and be aware that there are people that can help,” Mr. Egan said. “For example, the school counselors and teachers are great people you can turn to. Students can come to me or any other administrators as well, but know your resources and know that you’re loved. If you need something, somebody is here to help you.”
