While the next planned wellness weekend isn’t until January, students were quick to praise the first weekend they could relax without homework or assignments over their heads.s.

Teachers across the district refrained from assigning homework over the long Christopher Columbus Holiday weekend of October 5-8 and students embraced the initiative.

“I watched Netflix, hung out with my buddies, and carved a pumpkin. It was helpful but I’d like more Wellness days because homework stresses me out and I don’t do well with it,” stated Isabelle Wilders, senior. Like Isabelle, Kate LoPresti, Freshman, also found the weekend very relieving and found the homework-free break quite beneficial. “I hung out with my friends and because I didn’t have too much on my plate, it was very stress relieving.”

Even a few of the teachers liked this new system and agreed that it was a healthy way to remind students to catch up on their mental health. Michael Levy, world studies teacher, spent his weekend with his family and “not worrying about lessons or grading.”

The purpose of having Wellness Weekends this year is so that students don’t feel overwhelmed by school-related work, because often times, students neglect their mental health and don’t give themselves time to relax their mind. Having school five days a week for approximately eight hours each day can really put a strain on one’s well being, and Wellness Weekends are a way to give the mind a vacation for a few days.