What causes my stress?

For Rafael Lewis, senior, walking into the senior class’ first extended advisory was another reminder of the stress that comes with planning, applying, and choosing a college for next fall.

“Colleges give me a lot of stress because everyone expects me to have everything in order,” Lewis said. “It’s a lot more complicated then it looks.”

Lewis is not alone. Students at HHS, whether upperclassmen or underclassmen, experience stress for many different reasons.

Lots of high school stress comes from balancing different activities and clubs with an already busy school schedule. For Kallie Kuehmichel, senior, stress is caused when her athletic commitments start to get jumbled with school.

“As a student athlete the most stressful thing is having games or practices and having to worry about having homework afterwards,” Kuehmichel said. “Especially after games when you don’t get home until nine or ten and you to stay up late doing homework, which makes you even more tired for the next day.”

Even without extra curriculars, school itself can be very stressful for students, in-class and out.

“In my life I find tests to be really stressful because the night before I don’t get as much sleep,” said Marcella Reese, junior. “I feel like just the different aspects of life, the different homework and social events all combine to give stress.”

Outside of class, pressures from other students and adults can cause all kinds of stress for high schoolers, even when the stressor is not a tangible thing.

“I think the biggest stressor would be the expectations that everyone else has compared to what your expectations are and what you really want to do,” Lewis said.

At HHS, there are many departments that strive to help students better understand their stressors and work to overcome them. The Stress Management class at HHS also strives to help students understand their stress and work to manage it. The course is developed and taught by Jane Kleiman, Health.

“[The Health department at HHS] teaches students the science of stress (what is happening inside the body during stress) as well as various stress management  techniques hoping each student will find a few that work well for them as individuals,” said Mrs. Kristen Slinde, Heath.