PHOTOS: ‘Wellness Workshops’ Highlight St. Margaret’s Red Ribbon Week Activities

In the Library, Upper School students were tasting the most common brews of tea and learning the cultural significance behind them. In a Sillers Hall classroom, students were experiencing art workshops with a special project. There was yoga in one room, tai chi in another, a music session, a smoothie-making workshop by Nektar, and a corner of Chalmers Field transformed into a croquet court.

 

The “wellness workshops” wrapped up Red Ribbon and Mental Health Week at St. Margaret’s. Red Ribbon Week is a nationwide initiative to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. St. Margaret’s has expanded on the week’s focus in recent years to add a mental health element, and the workshops were designed to introduce new activities that could positively impact student well-being.

 

It was one of several touchpoints that took place. Earlier in the week, Upper School convo featured a panel of mental health experts to talk to teenagers about relevant health and well-being topics. The speakers included Dr. Bill Beacham, executive director for the Center for Drug-Free Communities; Lauren Gallegos, an associate clinical social worker and prevention director at the Wellness and Prevention center; and Amy Nelville, an activist educating and spreading awareness on the dangers of drugs. A student speaker followed at Upper School Chapel the next day, and the traditional Red Ribbon Week cookout took place with Head of School Will Moseley helping serve food.

 

In the Middle School, students were educated on the topics of substance use and abuse, and learned more about the importance of kindness to self and to others as well as some options for self-care. Like the Upper School, students in the Middle School chose an activity for their ‘Self-Care Fair’ which took place at the end of Red Ribbon Week.