Carlmont freshmen Emma Wang and Alice Finkelstein color a mood tracker to display their emotions throughout the month.
Healthy Living Club explains the importance of good health to his club members. The club focuses on many different health-related topics and includes lesson plans such as fun coloring activities and discussions.
School can be incredibly stressful, especially when students have after-school sports or activities, tons of homework, difficult AP classes, and a social life.
The goal of the Healthy Living Club is to educate students who want to learn more about different aspects of health and how to cope with stress. The club is made up of different units, including nutritional health, environmental health, mental health and sleep health.
Club leaders do a lot of research on these units in advance in order to present the best information to club participants.
“We will use credible research websites and present the information in a more concise form. We will then make a presentation or distribute handouts to provide additional background information to students,” said Carolyn Wang, a junior at Carlmont and president of the club. “Then we will have a discussion that students can participate in based on the research.”
Meetings take place every Monday in room D-1 at lunch. The current topic the club is discussing is mental health, and club leaders plan to collaborate with the Change To Mind Club. Some activities include mood trackers to display how club participants are feeling throughout the month, discussions with questions and personal experiences on the topic, and peaceful coloring activities.
Art and coloring therapy reduce stress and provide positive distraction, which can improve mental health. This is an example of a topic that could be covered in a lesson. Information like this is essential for people facing a lot of stress.
“This club is important to the Carlmont community because it addresses topics that help students become aware of what it takes to be healthy so they can perform at their best,” said Kylie Madson, Carlmont teacher and club advisor.
The club atmosphere is a relaxing setting, which is helpful when discussing heavy topics.
“It’s very relaxed and I like how the club leadership puts a lot of effort into their research,” said Elle Brough, a junior at Carlmont.
The club is not exclusive, as all students are more than welcome to attend and share their views.
“I just love how comfortable they make everyone share their ideas as well as their presentations, which have great visuals,” said Maya Lip, a junior at Carlmont.
Club leaders create an all-inclusive atmosphere with fun activities every week.
“I love the fun activities offered by the Healthy Living Club. There’s a perfect sense of camaraderie,” Madson said. “It’s awesome.”
