Keeping up with grades, getting ready for finals, and the sun going down way too early all pave the way to the season of depression. Pep Club put together Wellness Week to teach students ways to improve their health. In past years the club hosted a mental health panel; however, seniors Mara Love and Mya Larsen wanted to change that.

“We felt that they were getting repetitive and it’s hard for students to show up in the evening because we are all so busy,” Love said. “So, we thought why not incorporate the pillars of mental health throughout the week, where students are already here.”

According to the Wellness Week co-creators, the five pillars of health are physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social. These were incorporated into the activities throughout Wellness Week, including a therapy dog, yoga during TA, and stress-relieving resources.

“They’re different positive activities that students can look forward to,” Love said. “We looked into the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of health. The smoothie bike and the yoga are physical.” 

Providing students with these activities can be beneficial because it can help them figure out ways to take care of themselves. It can be hard for some to recognize that putting themselves before school, sports, etc is most important. 

“It gives students and staff something to look forward to,” Larsen said. “It will also incorporate ways to show students how to take care of themselves.”  

In addition to Wellness Week, EHS will begin a new program called the Hope Squad, where peer selected students will serve as mental health advocates and learn to recognize the signs of someone struggling with mental health.

“The main things students will be trained on is peer suicide prevention,” counselor Theresa Crnkovich said. “If someone is struggling, they’re going to go to their friend before they go to an adult. It’s training kids to recognize warning signs and how to have those difficult conversations.”