Finding Wellness in Winter Wonderland

          It is no surprise to anyone that Lawrenceville is a rigorous school. Students are held to high standards in all respects of life, but the Winter Term offers its own unique challenges that make it much less bearable than the Fall and Spring Terms. Lawrenceville’s new strategic plan, House, Harkness, Heart: A New Era for Community Wellbeing prioritizes the wellness of students. Despite efforts from all members of the community to make Lawrenceville a place where students can maintain strong physical and mental health, students cannot always shake away the winter blues. Taylor Hill ’25 and III Formers Emily Kumar, Leila Campbell, and Canaan Williams, shared their thoughts on what makes Winter Term so difficult, observations on mental wellbeing, and tips to succeed.

          Each student agreed that the dreary winter weather makes the term particularly challenging. When addressing Winter Term, Kumar remarked,“the weather is depressing, it gets dark earlier, and it’s just the time of year that feels really long and tiring.” 

          Campbell added that the “workload gets heavier” and her “mood changes with the weather.” Winters in Lawrenceville, New Jersey are often dark and wet, with the sun setting at early hours of the night leading to  cold temperatures. Environment and mental health go hand in hand: when the weather grows harsher, mental health often declines with it. The coursework also becomes increasingly  taxing in the Winter Term. 

          
          A vital part of Lawrenceville is the beautiful campus and spending time outdoors with friends. Yet Williams observes that “people do not socialize as much and people stay inside” in the winter. Hill shared a similar sentiment about how the gloomy weather affects mental health and can bring about “seasonal depression.” She also noted that the schedule, with an almost three-week break and many long weekends, makes it “difficult to get back into…[the] “groove” [of things] with school because everyone becomes used to the relaxing schedule of break.” The lack of motivation and constant exhaustion that some students feel is reflected in the entire student body.

          Many students struggle during Winter Term, but making sure to take care of their wellbeing is crucial. Kumar helped herself this Winter Term by “spend[ing] time with friends and do[ing] things that..[she] enjoy[s].” Campbell made “sure not to isolate” herself by “maintaining important relations.” Prioritizing social time at Lawrenceville can often be difficult as there is such a strong emphasis on academics, but in order to excel academically, a student must be well-rounded and mentally secure. Williams maintains his well being by  “balancing work, sports, and time to hang out” with friends. Physical activity is equally important in maintaining wellbeing, as physical and mental health are closely linked. Hill  “plays ice hockey every night… and goes on runs and walks…outside to let out energy and appreciate the snow,” all of which has greatly helped her this winter term. It is easy to hide oneself in their cozy room during the Winter Term, eager to escape the dreary weather, but experiencing frequent interactions with friends is just as important. 

          With the recent implementation of a new strategic plan, Lawrenceville will take the opportunity to provide more resources to address student mental wellbeing. Hill thinks that the creation of “a student center would be the best thing.” Having a hub for student life will be a great place for students to escape cold weather in the winter while still spending time with friends and socializing, especially given the lack of inter-house visitation during the daytime. She also wants more House bonding and events to give students “something fun to look forward to.” 

          
          Campbell and Kumar both want teachers to be more mindful of the “amount of major assignments per week,” possibly by communicating with one another to avoid dense weeks of work. Campbell, a day student who has to commute every day, thinks it is important to “give snow days when all other schools in the district have them.” Around 30% of the student body is day students and there are many members of the faculty and staff who live off-campus, so having snow days when the weather calls for them would limit the amount of classes missed and traveling in treacherous conditions. Missing classes because of the weather can cause students to fall behind, bringing unnecessary stress into their lives. The extra days off would allow students to recuperate and have fun playing in the snow.

          Winter term is obviously a stressful time, but there are things students can do to make it just a bit better. Learning to appreciate snowy days, although there may still be classes on them, spending time with friends, relaxing, staying active, and doing things that they enjoy are small things students can do to maintain their wellbeing at Lawrenceville through the winter.