On Thursday, May 20th, our school celebrated Wellness Day! This is a day designed for students of all grades to get outside and enjoy the nice weather, get active, and relax. There were an abundance of wonderful activities the Peer Leaders planned this year for the students to enjoy. As a sophomore whose freshman year ended at home, I had never experienced the legendary “Wellness Day” we had all heard so much about. I was interested to see how the school would make changes because of the virus, and some students said it was different from how Wellness Day is usually celebrated (we didn’t get therapy chickens or dogs, for example!). Nevertheless, I really enjoyed myself.

Here are some examples of what the day included: 

– a morning mental health mile (hosted by Our Minds Matter)

– phone collection raffle

– volleyball, spikeball, and pickleball games

– live music from Jack and the Rippers (this was awesome!)

– rock painting

– bracelet making

– healthy salad lunches (courtesy of Mrs. I)

– Mr. Softee trucks

What did the students think?

“It was a great way to clear my mind and escape from that ‘school mindset.’ I haven’t had a day like that in a while, so it was really nice to experience. My favorite activities were rock painting and the phone collection raffle. It was cute.”

“I loved Wellness Day! I got to listen to my peers’ music, and we got Mr. Softee, which was awesome! The whole atmosphere was very welcoming and relaxed. You didn’t even need to be doing an activity to be having fun.”

Some teachers kept their classes inside to learn, as we still had to check into (and even learn in some) classes, but most teachers allowed us to leave the building to enjoy the beautiful day. It was nice to finally experience an activity that was geared towards taking care of oneself, a day to have fun with friends and chill. I felt a strong sense of community within the school, all of us out there on the turf together, and that was something I hadn’t felt for a while. We get so wrapped up in our busy schedules, where homework and extracurricular activities weigh heavily on our shoulders all throughout the week, so I was elated that we could do what we rarely make time for. This day reminded me of how important it is to take care of oneself, whatever that means for you. A few hours soaking up the sun can go a long way.