On Oct. 11, Schreiber ran a two-hour in-school event known as “Wellness Day.” During Wellness Day, every period was shortened by 20 minutes to allocate enough time in the day for various activities, which were an hour each. Students could request two activities, including sports, art therapy, therapy dogs, relaxation techniques, backyard games, arts and crafts, and more.
Wellness Day benefits students’ mental, physical, and overall health. It also gives students a chance to get to know their teachers and fellow peers outside of the typical classroom environment, which helps to form stronger connections. Wellness Day is a relaxing and fun way to give students a break from their regular day-to-day schedules and participate in activities that they enjoy.
Some activities were also student-led, giving students the option to take a leadership role. One student-led activity was Cupcake Wars, which was run by seniors Lola Mauriello and Danica Blaslov. In this activity, students decorated cupcakes using frosting, gummies, and other ingredients.
“Cupcake Wars was lots of fun. My friends and I made a bunch of creative, and delicious cupcakes that we all ended up eating,” said senior Gavin Gerbasi.
Another student-led activity was String Bracelet Making, run by the board of the Women’s Empowerment Club. They helped students learn how to make string bracelets.
“The sessions were a very calm and fun environment. We were relaxed and happy while listening to music and making string bracelets with our friends. I had a great time teaching fellow students the skills and techniques to make string bracelets,” said junior Sienna Kohn.
String bracelets were not the only jewelry-related option students could have chosen. There were also beaded bracelets and keychain-making.
If students were interested in more hands-on physical activities, they were able to choose options such as basketball, backyard games, flag football, running, kickball, pickleball, softball, and volleyball.
“I had an enjoyable time playing games such as frisbee, horseshoe toss, spike ball, and cornhole with my friends during backyard games. It was a relaxing end to the busy school week and a calming start to the upcoming weekend,” said freshman Jack Shrier.
Wellness Day engages students in activities that interest them and allows them to hang out with friends and classmates.
One of Schrieber’s health teachers, Ms. Meghan Harding, coordinated the entire event. Ms. Harding explained that she was supported by a committee of 15 staff members who aided in setting the event up. In addition to asking students and staff for assistance, she asked local businesses such as Lifestyle Cafe and The Cooking Lab if they would be willing to run a session as well.
“Having many options allowed students and staff to choose what aligned and worked for them personally,” said Ms. Harding.
Once school started, she compiled a list of all the sessions and sent out a Google form for every student to fill out and choose an activity to participate in.
Ms. Harding did not hesitate to share that hosting Wellness Day was a stressful task. To her, the preparation was never-ending. Tasks such as ordering supplies, choosing rooms, and keeping the number of participants in mind can become overbearing.
“Hoping for good weather, keeping in contact with the community volunteers, greeting them at the door, setting up the rooms, and breaking them down are some more examples of what we do,” said Ms. Harding.
She also shared her gratitude for the committee of staff supporting her. The committee consists of teachers Lisa Tecusan, Brendan Klein, Sandra Decker, Gloria Vasserstein, Margaret Rizzo, Lisa Castaldo, Ani O’Brien, Marilyn Gonzalez-Montes, Jen Paradis, Laura Brazicki, Silvia Ostrowski, Nicole Thomas, Evelina Zarkh, and Kaylan Erickson.
Although Wellness Day isn’t every day, there are plenty of different ways to incorporate wellness into everyday life. Some ways to include wellness are going for a walk, reading a book, exercising, meditating, doing art, playing a sport, and exploring new hobbies. Making sure to set aside time for one’s well-being can be extremely beneficial.