High school is stressful.

With all of the rigorous classes students enroll in, many compromise their mental health and end up with a mountain of stress. Day by day, when that stress piles up until it can become too much of a burden for an individual to manage.

This is the unfortunate reality many Spring-Ford students face, but due to mental health initiatives implemented throughout the district, our Spring-Ford community is responding.

One such initiative is Aevidum’s Self Care Night, hosted in collaboration with Resiliency and GSA, promoting the need for students to take care of their mental health and encouraging healthy outlets for alleviating stress.

As the main presenter of the program, Aevidum had hosted another Self Care Night just prior to the pandemic. With dedication, the club was able to bring this event back for 2022. Aevidum is a student organization with the motto, “I’ve got your back,” which has been established as a supportive community for students to encourage positive mental health in both the school and community. Resiliency is also a student club which encourages positivity in the school environment, the title itself suggesting strengthening of character over time.

“This year was our second Self-Care Night here at Spring-Ford! We were so excited to be able to run the event, since due to COVID, we had not been able to since our first in the winter of 2020,” said Stacey Bogus, the faculty advisor for Aevidum. “Now, more than ever, students and adults alike can benefit from self-care. Too often, we are inundated with stressors and anxiety and do not take time to press pause and take care of our mental and physical well-being. I myself am guilty of this far too often.”

This year, there were new features added to the event, including therapy dogs, succulent and flower potting/planting, and inviting outside clubs such as GSA and the Diversity Club to provide meaningful engagement and reflection programs.

Additional programs were spin classes, yoga, manicures from Spring-Ford Western Center students, art, open gym space, and mindfulness meditation.

Bogus feels confident that moving forward, this event will become a staple,
“Most students who attended said they loved learning new ways to have healthy and positive outlets to stress and that this night gave them a chance to try new things in a much more comfortable setting. Some said they never would have just showed up to a spin or yoga class, for example, at a gym or studio, never having done it, but this night allowed them to get their feet wet a bit and build confidence to continue those practices outside of school.

“This is music to mine and Mrs. Smith’s ears, who as advisors for this club want to impart positive channels and support for students beyond just the halls of SF.”

The contribution of GSA further established the opportunity to be situated in an inclusive, supportive environment. GSA proudly supports the LGBTQ community and provides opportunities for members to freely express themselves and encourages a community of learning and acceptance.

“The goals of Self-Care Night encompass students trying new activities to relax or to disengage with the normal stressors of life,” Rachelle Hafer, the faculty advisor for GSA, said.