Upon return from Spring Break, life at our school moves pretty quickly! At assembly this week, I spoke about the pace of life here during the spring – mostly as a reminder to students to stay on top of their to-do lists, but also to highlight the importance of enjoying each of the moments that are set to unfold prior to the end of the year. Sometimes, when life gets busy, we can forget the importance of being present.
Fittingly, it is Health and Wellness Week here at the Senior School and this week in Chapel we were reminded that taking care of ourselves is of utmost importance when life gets full. Sleep, movement and personal connections are essential components for our students to prioritize when the pressures of life take hold. With AP and final exams just around the corner, this need becomes even more pronounced for our students to remember.
This spring is full of opportunities for our students outside of the usual classroom excitement. Our largest-ever art show in Brown Hall just wrapped up, there are concerts planned, many athletic fixtures and championships are on the horizon, and Alumni Weekend is days away – on top of all of the usual end-of-year festivities.
With so much excitement and energy on campus, it’s easy to become distracted and fall out of the healthy habits and patterns that have gotten them to this point in the year. You can help your child by encouraging them to maintain the same sleep schedule that has kept them going, to get outside for intentional exercise or a burst of physical activity, and to prioritize the connections you have with friends and family. Research shows that a strong and positive finish can ingrain these important skills and habits and help ensure success over the long run. We hope that this week, our students heard this message loud and clear.
A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body
We also hope students will heed the advice of Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, our keynote speaker who spoke in assembly on Friday to close out Health and Wellness Week. Laurent is a medical doctor, a published author, and he also plays in the National Football League for the New York Jets. (He also won a Super Bowl as an offensive lineman with the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 season.) His message drove home the importance of balance and how physical and mental well-being are linked.
He has achieved the highest level of success in sport and he holds a doctorate in medicine, so he is a true expert on developing healthy habits and skills that will benefit students throughout their lives. There was no better person to hear from!
Pressures come and pressures go, and it is so important that we not forget how to take care of ourselves and each other.
