On October 27, Ward Melville hosted a “social-emotional wellness day” to try and help students’ mental health. 

Personally, I enjoyed the shortened class periods, but the assemblies themselves weren’t very helpful. Some may say they were inspiring, but the speakers can only inspire so many when we know that everyone was on their phones or talking to their friends the whole time. The school can’t expect students to be sitting next to their friends and not talk to them, especially when the only thing keeping them apart was easily moveable tape on the seats. 

Many students were absent, and even fewer students were planning on attending before they found out that it would affect their gym grade if they weren’t present. 

Truthfully, the delicious free cookie and the food trucks may have boosted my emotional wellness more than the assemblies did. However, the downside was that the lines were so long that a lot of people got their food with only 5-10 minutes left to eat before the assembly began. Another issue with the food trucks was the prices; I and many of my friends were not ready to pay so much for lunch. We are high schoolers, Ward Melville can’t assume that everyone’s parents are going to give them money. 

The biggest issue that many students and faculty had with the whole day was how close together everyone was. With a full grade outside eating (and therefore not wearing masks) in the small patio area, it seems the event designed to promote student health could actually lead to more coronavirus cases. 

And this doesn’t just go for the lunch periods. It’s impossible to fit that many people in the gym or auditorium while still staying 6 ft. apart. However, in my opinion, the assemblies were not “superspreaders”, because students are much closer than that in the hallways or even in some classrooms.