Students crowded in lines for the ice cream truck parked outside Paresky Commons after last Friday’s All-School Meeting (ASM). Setting the tone for the spring term, this event was one of many that week that aimed to improve student wellness and mental health.
Brandon Walton ‘28 reflected on the ice cream truck. Despite last week not being the first time such events have occurred this year, he described their importance at this time.
“Coming off the winter, moods are really down, and the snow and the weather was really bad. Ice cream was a good idea, and everyone showed up, especially after ASM… This year, our school spirit has been a little low, and when everyone gets together, events are really helpful for people to socialize with everybody else on campus,” said Walton.
The events were made possible by a collaboration between multiple campus partners, including the Sykes Wellness Center (Sykes), the Office of Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD), and the Head of School Office. Amy Patel, Dean of Health and Wellness, explained their planning and success.
“In addition to routine programming, we coordinated with other departments to offer several events during the week and on Friday afternoon. We hoped this would offer opportunities for connection across campus. One event that the Sykes Wellness team held involved bringing a therapy dog to the library. Another involved our school dietitian and wellness programming coordinator offering a mindful activity and healthy snacks in the library. There was a great turnout for both activities,” wrote Patel in an email to The Phillipian.
Vedant Bajaj ’28, who visited the Dean of Students office for snacks, felt that the events served its purpose of improving mental health on campus.
“My friend and I went for 20 minutes after ASM, and we played some Connect Four and ate a lot of munchkins… the school is trying to support the mental health of its students. Obviously, one of the ways they do this is they’re hosting good events that can take our minds off of stress, which is why they often involve food and games, things they’ll usually associate with low-stress activities,” said Bajaj.
Dianne Domenech-Burgos, Chief of Staff and Assistant Head of School for Strategic Planning, assisted with the organization and planning of the events. Domenech-Burgos spoke on their purpose.
“We really wanted to have something for the community at the start of spring term. It’s exciting for some and scary for others who are waiting for college decisions, and we just wanted to make sure that we had a bunch of events that would keep students happy, in fact, and adults as well,” said Domenech-Burgos.
Domenech-Burgos continued, “I want to do this every spring term… I know that some people might want it in Winter Term because it’s a hard term, but coming back from spring, some Seniors are still waiting to hear about college acceptances. So, it’s a fun way to get it started.”
Vivian Báez, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, mentioned the goal of providing similar opportunities to destigmatize and promote mental health on campus in the future.
“In past years we focused more on student workshops. This year we were intentional about creating something that felt more informal and more accessible… We want to continue closing that gap between students who need help and students who are reaching out for help. Helping students understand that it’s OK to reach out for help. We want to continue to create opportunities where students can meet with counselors in workshops, mental health/wellness events and informal drop-in events,” wrote Báez in an email to The Phillipian.
