Wayne Valley Promotes Wellness at the Annual Wellness Fair

Over the past two years, Covid has taken a toll on our health, both physically and mentally. Wayne Valley High School is trying to combat this and get back on track through the Wellness Fair!

The Wellness Fair brings both the Wayne Valley community and the town together to promote physical, mental and emotional health. Some of the booths included the YMCA booth, SADD, Time Management Booth, Therapy Dogs, HOSA, DECA, Relay For Life, Nutrition and Teen Mental Health First Aid.

At the Stress, Nutrition, and Sleep booth, they explained that wellness is important for a happy life. They gave tips on how to sleep and maintain good nutrition to lower stress.

Guidance Counselor Mr. Imperatore ran the Teen Mental Health First Aid Booth. He says that the organization helps with “Connecting kids with a trusted adult for a friend who is experiencing a mental health challenge.” This is the first year for the organization and they have already completed six sessions. He goes on to say, “It was a positive experience and it shed a light on mental health in the high school.”

SADD is Students Against Destructive Decisions. When describing their booth, the student explains, “We have a graveyard of disconnected feelings to let everyone know we are not alone… We often hide these feelings and sharing is the first step.”

One booth, Disconnect from Technology, focuses on the downfalls of social media and cell phone addiction. They hope to help addicted students. Their advice includes: “Try to find a new hobby to distract yourself… Find new goals.”

In the Time Management Booth, students shared tips on post-its for how to manage time. Senior Aparna Jayanth hopes these tips will help but she understands that”These methods don’t work for everyone. We all have to work around [managing time] in different ways.”

Relay for Life will be hosting an event on May 21st from 3 pm to 8 am. They are raising money and awareness for Cancer victims. Some of the events include walking the track, food and a lantern vigil to honor the victims. The theme is Candy! It is the first in person event since 2019.

All physical education classes and health classes got to attend the Wellness Fair. Hopefully, this is the start of a great wellness journey for our students after the past few years.