How Amador tackles stress during finals season
December 17, 2019
Amador Valley High School always tries its best to support students throughout their high school career. In an effort to help students reduce their stress during finals week, Amador’s counselors set up various activities, including opening up the Wellness Center, hosting therapy dog sessions, meditation sessions, and passing out motivational memos.
To sum up how stress accumulates throughout high school years and how students cope with it, view the Podcast below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qou58WdMU0M&feature=youtu.be
The wellness center opened at the beginning of this school year as an attempt to help students cope with stress and anxiety that comes with being a high school student. It is an extremely helpful resource during finals.
This is the seating area of the Wellness Center at Amador Valley High School.
“It is a time to come and relax. Some kids grab a snack, drink some tea, and have quiet time. The idea is after about 15 minutes, they’ll feel calmer and be able to go back to class. If they’re not, we send them up to see a counselor if they feel like they need to talk or feel like they’re having a high level of stress” said one of Amador’s counselors, Ms. Pacheco.
The wellness center is a great place to reduce anxiety and stress anytime students feel overwhelmed or just need a break. There are many relaxing activities along with snacks and they have a comfortable seating area.
“Most of the students after they come in and pick their activity on how to reduce their stress level when they check out they seem to feel less stressed so it does seem like it is helpful and benefiting the kids who do utilize it,” said Pacheco.
These are some tips on how to decrease stress before and during finals stress.
Amador Valley also ties up with local therapy dog owners and have their furry friends visit our campus every Friday the month before finals. Many students find their adorable and calm aspects a way of forgetting about their own stress.
“I feel like Amador does a decent job of helping people cope with stress. They bring out dogs during finals time which is nice and a lot of the teachers are really nice about giving out study guides and helping people study for finals,” said Trevor Asberry (‘20).
In addition, Ms. Yu, a counselor at Amador, has been working hard to make sure kids stay relaxed during finals. She checks in with students to consistently monitor each kid’s progress along with their mental health.
“Students’ anxiety tends to peak during this time, but making a subtle shift in how they approach the situation like thinking of a final as just another exam that they’re taking. When we put the word, final, it just freaks a lot of kids out,” said Ms. Yu, one of Amador Valley’s counselors.
The counseling department also plans on passing out affirmation cards and small treats around the time of finals as a little encouragement to help them get through the week.
it’s a very stressful time and we just want to remind them that they matter, it’s not all about their GPA, and they are people and they are capable
— Ms. Yu
Donuts are usually passed out in the morning around or during finals week, which brings a great start to the day, which, during finals week, can get really stressful. For more information on donuts and therapy dogs at Amador, click the links below.
Amador continues to work hard towards keeping students stress free through all of the activities. There’s no doubt Amador will keep supporting its students through their high school experience. Good luck on finals, Dons!
To learn more about Therapy Dogs: https://www.amadorvalleytoday.org/6691/profiles/uncategorized/amador-valley-br…ng-finals-season/
To learn more about Donuts at Amador:https://www.amadorvalleytoday.org/6743/profiles/uncategorized/amador-valley-counselors-pass-out-donuts-during-finals-season/
