On March 8, during lunchtime at Community High School not everyone was eating, instead, they were dancing. Students and teachers alike piled into the first-floor dance body room as they learned how to jitterbug from senior teacher and Dancer-in-chief, Judith DeWoskin. Most of DeWoskin’s pupils were unsuccessful at the jitterbug but their efforts were admirable nevertheless. It’s an annual tradition that Depression Awareness Group (DAG) puts together during the month of March along with other wellness breaks.
DAG, led by teacher and wellness enthusiast Robbie Stapleton, has a mission to make Community High School mentally healthier. Stapleton knows that something as small as dancing during lunch can have a positive impact.
“Our bodies are meant to move,” Stapleton said, “the biochemical stuff that’s going on when you’re moving, is [that] you’re eliminating and getting rid of [a] stress hormone called cortisol… You’re having fun. You’re laughing. You’re with friends. We know for a fact that all of that affects our well being and how we feel about ourselves in our world. So what could be better than dancing during lunch?”
Phoebe Bolz (on the right) and Isabel Espinosa (on the left), partner up to dance the jitterbug.
Like Stapleton, DeWoskin also thinks that dancing is healthy for the body, but in the end, it’s something she finds fun.
“I absolutely love to dance and have always loved to dance,” DeWoskin said. “I just feel better all over because I think dancing is the most amazing exercise anybody can ever get.”
However, DeWoskin and Stapleton aren’t the only ones to find dancing fun.
“It was super fun to come and see Judith dance and dance with her,” Emily Lancaster said, a senior at Community.
Being a dancer herself, Lancaster finds dancing and moving in general, to make her and others happier. Along with Lancaster, Julia Ammer enjoyed this little break in the middle of the regular school day.
“It also clears your mind to kind of focus on something else,” Ammer said. “Focus on trying to get some dance steps instead of thinking about the test you have next block.”
This wellness break was not only a way to relieve some stress but also a fun way to spend time with your friends and teachers at Community.
If you happened to miss this dance party and are looking to unload, luckily this isn’t the only mental wellness break in March. The next break will be yoga in the dance studio on March 22 and will be open to everyone.
Keep an eye out for the other wellness breaks approaching in the coming weeks in the forum bulletin or ask someone in DAG, they wear yellow shirts on Fridays.
Meghana Tummala is a senior at Community and this is her first year as a journalist. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching movies and practicing Taekwondo — she's currently a red belt and hopes to get her black belt by the end of this school year. She went ice skating for the first time in junior year but is continuing to "practice" with her friends to get better. Hopefully, by the time she goes off to college, she knows how to skate.
Elijah is a senior at Community High School. He loves running, Africa by Toto and Mohamed El-Hussieny. Besides talking about math with his best friend Moe you can find Elijah volunteering, running, or at the Neutral Zone. Elijah is an incredibly hyper person but rarely gets more than 6 hours of sleep so his mood constantly shifts from incredibly drowsy to unbelievably hyper. If you ever see Elijah upset it is probably because someone desecrated pineapple on pizza.
