Wellness Wednesdays

A new practice has been brought into Homestead with the intentions of de-stressing busy high schoolers. 

‘Wellness Wednesdays,’ a weekly event which takes place in the counseling office during A and B lunch, began last Wednesday, Nov. first. Students are free to color, doodle or just relax while listening to soothing music. Counselors Danielle Kuzmanovic, Sarah Robinson and Social Worker Terry Carr have been responsible for creating this de-stressing zone.

“I think the initial reason that it was created was because we were hearing from students, parents and teachers that students are overwhelmed,” Kuzmanovic said.

Kuzmanovic explained how her team wanted to create something to formally address this issue, a space where students can calm down. One regulation that has been proposed in order to further achieve this goal includes the prohibition of phone usage. By doing this, the counselors hope that students will be a little less connected to technology throughout the day and rather focus on themselves.

“We want it to be something where students don’t feel obligated to go to but use it as they need it. Students can stop by for five or twenty five minutes. This is a zone where we are trying to minimize talking and having more introspective time to decompress,”  Kuzmanovic said.

Emmery Wilson, junior, participated on the first day of the new initiative; she quickly learned how beneficial the weekly activity can be, “I know this will help me come down, destress and really just get away from the world,” Wilson said.

Emma Straszewski, junior, has been another attendee of the first Wellness Wednesday gathering and, like Wilson, she was quickly able to spot the highlights of the new amenity: “[Wellness Wednesday] allows for a moment to pause and just relax away from the stress of my future, including grades and college plans,” Straszewski said.