De-Stress Fest: Overcoming a Season of Stress at Memorial High School

While the holiday season is known as “the most wonderful time of the year,”  high school students are more familiar with it being the most stressful time of the year. Students are constantly stressed due to the pressure of the future and the expectations to succeed academically. While this is a year-round challenge, the few weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break can feel more intense than ever. With finals at hand, students spend these weeks constantly studying and reviewing, in hopes of earning good grades. This is often accompanied by overwhelming feelings of stress and anxiety.

At Memorial High School, these feelings have been acknowledged, and to battle them, the Memorial Wellness Center has implemented De-Stress Fest every year during the week prior to finals. Each day during this week-long function, a different activity is offered to the student body, serving as a break from studying and a time to de-compress mid-day. 

Keira Donovan participating in the De-Stress Fest carnival on Monday afternoon during her lunch. (Photo: Kelsy Donovan).

The week started with a “carnival” in the school’s new courtyard. A variety of games were present for the students to enjoy, along with prizes of candy and stress toys. In addition, student volunteers managed a snack stand that offered free snacks, treats, and water available for everyone on campus! Subsequently, Tuesday was dedicated to a large bingo game held by the cafeteria. Throughout the day, multiple rounds were played and many students walked away with fun prizes and sweet treats. Having these first two days dedicated to undemanding activities was particularly important to help students’ productivity and concentration when directing their attention back to studying. 

As the week went on, the focus of the activities shifted from stimulating activities to relaxing holiday festivities. On Wednesday, hundreds of cookies from lunch vendor Tiny's Milk and Cookies were passed out free to the student body. This kicked off the second half of De-Stress Fest. Following this, a holiday movie party was hosted on Thursday, accompanied with popcorn and holiday treats in the multi-purpose room. Lastly, hot cocoa and donuts were available for everyone in the Wellness Center on Friday morning to close off the week. This allowed students to become familiar with the campus Wellness Center, the counselors, and the services offered to them at all times. 

This week made the efforts of Memorial High School and the Wellness Center apparent, and it doesn’t stop here - this is just the beginning of a great year.