|
Valeria Dancea, graduating from North Cross this year, walks our halls and the stage with a huge smile on her face. She has been gracing North Cross’s theater productions for four years, her favorite character she has portrayed as “Eliza Doolitte!” and her favorite production being The Crucible. She says that her favorite play she hasn’t been in is Beetlejuice the Musical. Via shares that her sister got her interested in the stage, and that if she has time, she will continue ‘breaking a leg’ in college productions.
To students on the fence about participating in theater, “It’s less scary than you think!” Via says, “And it gets easier as you get on stage more, so you should definitely give it a shot even if you don’t think you’d be good at it.”.
0 Comments
My sport is indoor bouldering. The climb in the right hand photo was a V1, but I had been having trouble reaching beyond the ledge to get the final few holds. In this particular photo, I am smearing to even out my weight distribution in order to make the final shift. In the left hand photo, I had just made a swing to get my left hand to the other wall, and I am moving to get my left leg on that wall too.
At the comp(etition) on Nov. 9, there were 100 competitors, not counting the spectators who showed up to watch the competitors. We were at an indoor gym in Richmond, called SCOR. The routes were numbered, and the label only read who needed to climb it. I am classified as a U17-F climber, so I could only climb U17-F routes, all of which were V3s and above. I am on the River Rock Climbing team, competing during the first season they have had since COVID-19 hit. There are 10 teammates, including me, five boys and five girls. Our coach, his first name is Heath, teaches science for another school in the area, and my teammates are from many different schools. Coach often tells us to “send hard” meaning give a route our all. My favorite part of the climb is letting go. I lower myself a few holds down, take a deep breath, raise my eyes to the wall, and then let go, usually curling my arms into my chest. Falling the ‘right’ way is important in climbing, because a bad fall can cause injury, even death in extreme circumstances. Weeks ago, I landed wrong after one of my favorite climbs. It was a green and white route set as a V1, and I had done it many times before. (for reference, VBs are the easiest route, then V0s, V1s, and so on). But that time, I had landed on the mat on my hand, with a locked elbow under my shoulder, not on either of the climbs in the photo, and I can still feel the injury on bad days. But the joy of reaching the top is worth the pain of an injured shoulder. The holds are often rough on your hands, forming calluses and then breaking them off. The climbing chalk you use for your hands is supposed to help with this. Climbing is a sport that takes your whole body. The wall isn’t always vertical, and there are many types of holds. There are crimps, pockets, slopers, jugs, pinches, blocks that aren’t holds but you can use anyway, and sometimes you just have to use the wall itself, known as a smear. As we near the end of trimester one with tests and papers coming due, it’s important to remember to take care of ourselves as we work in our classes.
Mental health is an important part of ourselves, closely correlating with physical health. For example, signs of heavy stress over long periods of time include headaches, fatigue, tiredness, lack of sleep, frustration, and changes in appetite. Little things such as taking a brain break, knowing your limits and respecting them, and not doing things that make us feel scared or threatened are ways of protecting our mental health. “I think stress and anxiety are the most common mental health issues that upper school students struggle with as they balance a heavy course load, sports and extracurriculars.” Upper School counselor Sarah Cocowitch said “It is a difficult task for upper schoolers, and understandably there are periods when they are learning to manage their time.” And North Cross does care about student’s mental health. “I appreciate the fact that we have an entire counselor devoted just to students' well-being instead of also being tasked with scheduling classes, the college admissions process and standardized testing,” Cocowitch said, “all of the other huge tasks that public school counselors are asked to be in charge of.” Ms. shares. Mental health is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly. Respecting and acknowledging our struggles is kind and important, because no one is made less by respecting and catering to their mental needs. Remember that going to therapy does not belittle us or admit weakness. It is a way of taking care of ourselves. “The most common misconception about mental health that I encounter when working with the North Cross student body is probably the idea that being ‘mentally healthy equals happiness,’” Cocowitch said “Really what mental health means is experiencing the wide range of ups and downs in life and knowing how to work through the lows, we have to cope with the hard days and recognize that that's all a normal part of our life's experiences.” Tudor House, which some of our classmates are involved in, is a good resource for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Suicidal thoughts or contemplating suicide is not to be taken lightly, nor is a laughing matter. “I hope that all the upper school students know that they can seek out my support at any time when they feel things have become unmanageable or too difficult to carry on their own,” Cocowitch said, ”And I hope they know that I am also happy to help connect students and families to outside resources.” If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, reach out quickly and that communication saves lives. Please try to use person-first language, and reach out to someone we think could be struggling. Person-First language puts the person before the deed, such as, “ died by suicide,” not “they committed suicide.” Avoid talking about mental health or mental health issues with a negative connotation, because mental struggles are not and have never been a choice. Taking care of ourselves and loving yourself really is very important, and while mental health is important, it is not a reason to skip school unless we are really struggling. In fact, spending time with our friends could improve how we are feeling. If you feel you or someone else is at risk, the suicide hotline is 988. You can call for yourself or a friend, family member, or important other. |
I am CarolineI write and edit the opinion pieces for the Willis Hall Herald. I usually write on issues concerning the environment Archives
May 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed