Last week, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, students gathered in the science quad at lunch to participate in various activities for the annual Wellness Week, organized by the Ambassadors Club’s wellness committee.
According to Senior Lorenzo Varlaro, head of the mental health committee and a member of the executive board, the core objective of Wellness Week is to improve the well-being of the student body.
“We’re just trying to teach everybody to take care of their mind, their body, and their soul,” Varlaro said.
Each day of the week is branded with a different theme, which intends to promote self-care and wellness. For instance, this year’s Thursday was titled Thankful Thursday.
In addition to daily lunchtime activities, the Ambassadors Club also organized wellness videos that were played in classrooms and guided meditation sessions in the nearby science classrooms.
“We’re gonna practice being grateful for other people in our lives and things they have done for us,” Varlaro said.
This year, Wellness Week culminated with a large Spartan Pause in the science quad on Friday. Activities at lunch included a make-your-own-stress ball station, a farm animal station, and several refreshments stands.
According to Varlaro, the turnout for Wellness Week has been the greatest yet.
“It’s been so big that we’ve run out of space for tables, and we’ve had to add more than we were expecting,” Varlaro said.
However, the event did not come without its challenges. Varlaro said that encouraging students to participate genuinely has been an obstacle despite the greater turnout this year.
“Wellness is something you either take seriously, or you don’t, and of course there’s a lot of students who don’t,” Varlaro said. “A lot of kids kind of see our efforts as cheesy.”
To overcome this issue, Ambassador’s club has designed its activities to be as fun and welcoming as possible.
Organizing this event was no simple task. To ensure that this year’s Wellness Week was carried out optimally, Ambassador’s Club began planning several weeks prior. Members of the Ambassadors club and class regularly collaborated to share and discuss ideas.
After the events, the club also reviews the outcomes of all the activities. It figures out what it did well and assesses where it could improve.
“I think the more effort we put into Wellness Week, the better blueprint there will be for years to come,” Varlaro said. “I won’t be in Ambassador’s next year, but I know the group of kids that will be are going to do a great job.”
Kevin Chien is a senior in his second year in Oracle. He serves as a member of the News Beat team. Outside of school, he enjoys practicing violin and piano.
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