By Fiona O'Reilly
Source by Linda Cheung
Ms. Vasek, a pioneer for the celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month at NHP, enjoys the mindfulness room which was set up for students and staff to relax in between periods.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, members of New Hyde Park’s guidance department and student body participate in several events throughout the course of May to recognize the month’s cause. May was first recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949, and from this point onward, more and more people have continued to recognize the month. This year, NHP set up a mental health spirit week with several opportunities for school community members to be mindful of social-emotional well-being. This week was from Monday May 13 through Friday May 17, the second week of AP testing, a typically stressful time for students.
The spirit week consisted of each day having a theme: Mindful Monday, BELIEVE in Yourself Tuesday (students were encouraged to wear their New Hyde Park BELIEVE T-shirts), Wear Green Wednesday, Team Up Thursday and Unity Friday.
“This year, I took five AP classes,” senior Guneet Hanjra said. “Out of these five, three happened to fall during the spirit week that was established. While I was more focused on my testing than I was on participating in the spirit events, it was nice to know I had the resources in the school to manage stress and focus on my mental health during such a stressful time, if needed.”
“These events were beneficial for students taking AP exams as these exams are known to cause a great deal of stress,” counselor Ms. Vasek said. “Our goal was to raise awareness and add some fun to the week, providing a break from the stress of exams.”
Spirit week events such as “Chalk and Talk,” in which students were able to write positive affirmations in chalk on the pavement outside of Cafeteria B while socializing with peers, sought to provide a positive outlet for students to manage their stress. Students and staff continued the positive memo inside of the building as well, with a banner being hung outside of Cafeteria B for students to pledge to end the stigma surrounding mental health and write more positive affirmations.
Source from Jennifer Vasek
Amongst other pieces of positive chalk affirmations, seniors Alex Marsella, Nicole Pappas and Valentina Gentile push for positivity during Mental Health Spirit Week.
Beyond just the spirit week, NHP recognized MHAM with several other activities, including the Mindfulness Room, which remains open during lunch periods for students to play games, listen to music and socialize.
“We organized events throughout the entire month of May to help bring awareness to mental health and support our student's social-emotional well-being,” Ms. Vasek said. “Mental Health Awareness Month has certainly made a positive impact on both our students and staff. Our goal has been to promote mental health awareness, end the stigma, and foster a sense of connection and support among students here at NHP.”
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