" Raiders Never Walk Alone" Wellness Day, First Of It's Kind

On Friday, May 20, 2022, Nutley High School had its first-ever Wellness Day. The event was in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness month which takes place each May. The theme was "Together for Mental Health" and the Wellness Day focused on both mind and body health and wellness. The event included breakfast, Yoga, dances, music, a Walk-A Thon, and each student received a shirt. “I am very excited about the event, it is the first of its kind. Mr. Johnson and I hope to make this a new tradition if all goes well,” said Mrs. Lewis, a NHS school counselor.

The event was first come first serve for the first 150 students that sign up. The sign-up consisted of a Google form and persimmon slip. The Wellness Day was held from 8:00 - 11:00 am. The day started with yoga for a half an hour. This was followed up with breakfast consisting of pastries, bagels, and fruit. After breakfast, a few simple contests were played to win Starbucks gift cards. After this, the walk began which was stopped a few times to dance and play a few games. The day ended with a dance contest to win amazon gift cards. 

The day was a huge success according to the students who attended. “I enjoyed the event and I hope that it becomes more of a regular thing. It was so fun to be able to play games, walk, have breakfast, do yoga, and dance with my friends instead of having classes even if it was just for one morning. School can be stressful, especially towards the end of the year and all of the final projects we have to do so I think this was helpful and needed at least for me,” said Jenna Rutnik, a freshman who attended Wellness Day.

Sara Sonnylal another freshman at NHS said, “being able to have some sort of break, even for just a couple hours, can be so helpful.  I know we have the weekend but those aren’t even free because we either have homework or stuff to do so this type of day or event is so helpful.” With all the work that is piled on students during the last couple of months of school, a wellness day event like this is beyond helpful just for students to be able to relax and get their minds off school for a couple of hours.