Beyond Wellness Day: Continuing the Mental Health Discussion

At Lawrenceville, not only do students deal with the universal difficulties of teenhood such as stress, insecurities, and relationships, for many Lawrencians, the School’s demanding nature can introduce additional, unique struggles which contribute to more pervasive mental health problems. Over the past year, the discussion of the mental wellbeing of Lawrentians has become an unavoidable topic as the community suffered multiple losses. The administration’s most recent method of addressing mental health was last Wednesday’s Mental Health and Wellness Day. Although this effort to directly acknowledge mental health was commendable and appreciated by some, others found its execution to be in some ways lacking. There are several ways the school can improve mental wellness on campus, but the first step to doing so is by implementing open communication between students and the administration. 

While many students found Wellness Day to be a welcome break, there was significant criticism geared towards the day’s programming. The general consensus was that the mental health needs of Lawrenceville greatly misaligned with what occurred on Wellness Day. The majority of student backlash was aimed at the keynote speeches. If student feedback could have been established prior to Wellness Day, there would have been a better understanding of the nature of speakers people want to see. Instead, the speakers’ lengthy and repetitive speeches sent students to the bathrooms in droves in attempts to find respite from the out of touch memes and prolonged personal anecdotes. This is not to say, however, that the speakers did not raise good points. Their main ethos of encouraging open discourse and communication surrounding mental health was spot-on. Destigmatizing mental health and fostering more honesty and discourse around mental wellbeing on campus is something the Lawrenceville community would benefit from greatly. At the end of the day, Lawrenceville, not the guest speakers, is responsible for providing the infrastructure to take care of the mental health of students in the long term. Though the conversation started by the speakers held poignant and true points, more must be done by the school. It is not enough to stimulate discussion; change must be enacted. 

Communication between students and administration is integral in beginning to improve the manner in which mental health is addressed on campus, as the keynote speakers acknowledged. If the administration was upfront about its potential shortcomings and inquired into what we students believed was best for us, they would make crucial strides towards improving mental health on campus. However, it is not just the administration’s job to inquire about our needs, it is also on us as students to speak up for ourselves and open discourse with the administration. Whether this communication occurs through increased numbers of town halls, polls or established meetings with House Presidents, the School needs to use these systems that it has put in place more frequently to create an honest channel of communication between students and faculty, to provide the best possible insight on what students truly want. It would allow student voices to explain what we as a student body need for our improved mental wellbeing rather than having the administration implement what they think is best. 

The School must prepare for the fact that its students’ desires may sometimes conflict with theirs. In this situation, it is necessary that the administration is ready to make difficult decisions in order to prioritize the wellness of students. More frequent breaks from Lawrenceville’s busy schedule would allow students to take a minute to breathe, connect and recharge. Although a few days off does not magically cause our issues to disappear, giving students the ability to slow down and focus inwards for a while goes a long way in improving general wellness. The abandonment of Saturday classes is a prime example of how slightly fewer class periods significantly help to ease the overwhelming feelings that many face. Moreover, Wellness Days should be implemented at least once a term to keep the conversation surrounding mental health going. Though this would mean lost class time, it is a sacrifice the administration can make that would communicate to the students that the school values our wellbeing. 

Wellness Day is a great concept; by expanding this program, the school could create a permanent, recurring way to address mental health. To properly broach the topic of mental health at Lawrenceville, one must be ready and willing to address specifics of the Lawrenceville experience. We have experienced tragedies which require more nuanced attention than what was offered on Wellness Day. The student body needs increased support from professionals and unfortunately, the implementation of key-note speakers and workshops, though both led by counseling professionals, were unable to accomplish this due to their impersonal nature. The implementation of group sessions, workshops geared towards coping with, and combating mental health struggles and the positioning of the relevant personnel in panels where students can discuss mental health at Lawrenceville could all help Wellness Day evolve into a more active way of dealing with mental health. 

Though not entirely successful in the eyes of students, Wellness Day was a valiant effort from the School and should be acknowledged as such. It is now a necessity that we use the momentum and discourse prompted by Wellness Day to continue to finetune and rectify our general culture of mental health of Lawrenceville. Wellness Day truly has the potential to positively change the way we view and handle mental health at Lawrenceville.Through hard work, open communication and sacrifices from both parties, Lawrenceville will be able to create a culture where all students can function at their highest capacities without sacrificing their mental well-being.