On November 30 and December 7 and 14, the weekly Advisory period was extended to an hour so that everyone at Arlington High School could take part in activities designed to promote health, balance, and mental health wellbeing. The entire AHS community was involved and students could choose to attend workshops to discover ways to take care of themselves, use their creative sides, socialize and play games, share music and films, or just read and relax.
Each day found the young people busy making slime or friendship bracelets, playing cards or assembling jigsaw puzzles, taking a walk or playing basketball, learning about and crafting queer flag garlands, creating a Self-Care Calendar, or exploring LGBTQIA+ inclusion and joy through a graphic novel. Some workshops were offered and facilitated by AHS students or student groups.These included Jewelry Making, Bullet Journaling, Make a Pronoun Button, Hair Love, and ¡Hablamos Español! (We Speak Spanish!) among others.
This year’s offering by the Performing Arts Department involved more students than previous Wellness Workshops. The performances included he Honors Orchestra and Jazz Band led by AHS Instrumental Director Sabato D’Agostino, the Chorale and Madrigal Singers led by AHS Choral Director Mara Walker, and compositions from students in AHS Music Technology teacher John DiTomaso’s classes.
Teachers and staff were facilitating workshops or serving as workshop buddies, supporting students to get where they needed to be, covering hallways, or assisting with the concert.
AHS History teacher and pinball enthusiast Michael Sandler arranged to bring in four full-size pinball machines for his workshop entitled Pinball. This proved to be especially popular, and ended with a student and staff tournament on December 19. The regular Advisories on December 21 were spent debriefing the experiences.
These Wellness Workshops are part of an annual program started by AHS Social Worker Andrea Razi over 15 years ago. The goals of the event are to
- Increase awareness and decrease stigma associated with mental health struggles.
- Practice self-care skills and promote help-seeking behaviors
- Take a break from the usual routine and provide time for community members to come together and take care of themselves.
The organizing work began in October as Wellness Month Coordinator and AHS Special Education Chair Amanda Donohue started soliciting workshop ideas and leaders. AHS Library Teacher Stacy Kitsis served as Wellness Month Registration Coordinator, making sure that all students knew about the workshops they could choose from, remembered to register, and received their schedules.
Ms. Donohue and Ms. Kitsis were supported by the AHS Advisory Committee that includes Shannon Knuth, Jenna Obelsky, Jess Klau, Scott O’Brien, Melanie Konstandakis, and Principal Matthew Janger. Computer Science teacher Dan Sheldon played a critical role in the registration process. The algorithm he created helps build a schedule that matches students with their preferences and designs the best schedule within the limitations of available space and staff.
Both Coordinators were thrilled with the reception they received from individuals throughout AHS. Teachers, education support personnel, social workers, district social emotional coaches, school counselors, administrators, and others stepped up to offer their expertise and share their passions. Student feedback was positive, and typical comments included “It was an inclusive space where I could meet people who shared [the] same interests and ways to do self care.” and “I enjoyed taking a break in my day.” The most common student feedback was that they wished they could do this more often.