Phillips Academy students enjoyed a week of fewer classes and reduced homework as they learned about teenage health issues in the third annual Wellness Week. During Wellness Week, one academic subject is cancelled each day to provide students with additional time to attend evening workshops. Students were required to attend three workshops throughout the week. Uppers and Seniors were able to select one of the three workshops and attended two mandatory programs as a class. Juniors and Lowers attended three mandatory seminars. Choices for workshops ranged from lectures on marijuana use and peer pressure to interactive activities such as salsa, waltz and swing dance workshops. Richard Keller, School Physician, said, “I strongly believe that the more venues there are for health education, the better, because in the end, your health is what matters the most.” “In this sense, Wellness Week provides a great opportunity for students to raise their awareness regarding health and take a break from their stressful workload,” he continued. Some Juniors and Lowers felt that they should also be allowed to choose Wellness Week programs. Tahir Kapoor ’12 said, “The Wellness Week seminars would have been more beneficial for underclassmen if we could choose programs on topics that we wanted to learn. Most of us already know all the basic principles regarding health and awareness that the school teaches Junior and Lower year.” Keller said, “Juniors and Lowers are not given the option of choosing their own workshops because we believe that they should be exposed to a certain set of necessary health principles before they study any other health related issues.” Although all club meetings are cancelled during Wellness Week, musical commitments such as orchestra and chorus take priority over Wellness Week workshops. Some students had complaints regarding time conflicts between musical obligations and the evening Wellness Week programs. Jacob Shack ’10 said, “I think the Wellness Week workshops would be much more productive if everyone could participate without having to worry about time conflicts with other commitments like orchestra.” Most Wellness Week programs are mandatory workshops created for each class. The workshops are designed to target issues pertaining to specific grades and age groups. Vimala Mohammed, Administrative Assistant of the Dean of Students, said, “When we decide which mandatory programs to schedule for Wellness Week, we try to make them as age appropriate as possible.” Juniors listened to guest speakers from Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD), a well-established organization that provides education on the repercussions of alcohol and drug abuse. Juniors also received a seminar on cyber safety and the benefits and risks of online social networking. Lowers attended “I am Dirt,” a one-man skit focusing on the impact of substance abuse in teenagers. Lowers also received information on sex and managing relationships. Chuan Xu ’12, a Lower from Beijing, said, “I had never really received proper health education in China before coming to Andover, and I think the seminars were very helpful and informative to many students, especially to international students like me.” Uppers attended workshops on date rape and the college admission process. Seniors participated in “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” a workshop that focused on liability issues regarding alcohol use in college. The program centered on Sean Krueger, an MIT freshman who died of alcohol poisoning during a fraternity pledge. Jennifer Miao ’10 said, “I thought the seminar was very informative because it was not the whole cliché ‘Don’t drink or do drugs.’ Rather, the speaker emphasized the idea that everyone is at fault and [alcohol abuse] is not solely the responsibility of the abuser.” On Wednesday, Seniors also listened to a panel of Teaching Fellows recount their experiences in college regarding sex, drugs and alcohol. Paresky Commons staff made noticeable changes in the menu during wellness week, emphasizing a more health-conscious diet. Paul Robarge, General Manager of Dining Services, said, “The nutritionists at Commons view Wellness Week as a spring board from which to gear toward serving more health-conscious food options at Commons.” Commons plans to implement a new program in January to emphasize health-conscious diet. The screens in the dining hall show the healthiest entre choice of the day. Following Wellness Week, the Dean of Students will conduct a survey for student feedback to further improve the program.
