Self-care is the focus at South Orangetown Middle School today, where students are participating in live and asynchronous activities, such as mindfulness breaks, social emotional learning lessons, SOMS trivia contests and read-alouds. Programming also includes alumni guest speakers, strategies for stress management and outdoor yoga.
The day-long event was organized by SOMS Prevention Counselor Bobbie-Angela Wong. “The purpose for this event was to build relationships and for our students to see school as a place to grow social emotionally, not just academically. We have a lot of fun activities–trivia about teachers and exercises for students to share about themselves–to create connections,” she explained. “Middle school can be a challenging time. It’s important that students realize that who they are and where they are right now can change. Hearing that from alumni can help them see that it’s going to be OK.”
Special thanks to participating alumni Meagan Jaskot (TZHS ‘12), Joval Mathew (TZHS ‘12), Caroline Peeples (TZHS ‘12), Erika Richards (TZHS ‘12), Jay Tyler (TZHS ‘11) and Gianina Yumul (TZHS ‘08) for sharing their middle school experiences and paths to success!
