The Promise of Sparta High School's Stress Survey by Sylvia Kloian

As many of you know, yesterday, students took a stress survey during what is usually their gym period. And besides the jubilating fact that we got to skip a fitness day, there were a few ideas presented in the survey that could be just as exciting. For one thing, this year, instead of asking us how stressed we are (like what the survey focused on last year), they asked us what makes us feel stressed. This might suggest that administration is considering taking steps to go to the root of the problem, which could be very beneficial. Also, there was a question asking about the idea of "staggering tests". There was no description of this term, but one can assume that that means that you will not have all of your tests on one day, and that they will instead be spread out. I, for one, can say that this would most definitely reduce the stress I feel, because that stress is often caused by my having several tests on one day, meaning that not only do I have a test almost every period, but that I have to study for several tests in one night, which can be quite tasking. Another idea presented was "designated homework-free weekends". Of course, that sounds amazing. But whilst talking to my peers, some important questions were raised. For example, even if they did begin to give "designated homework-free weekends", what would ensure that the idea would actually be enforced? Some teachers might choose to ignore the designation, or get past the "rule" by giving us studying (technically it's not "homework") or reading to do. And students will still feel the stress of assignments that have been previously given that might not be due until the next week, or even the next month. If this rule was enforced, though, it would be a huge help. A lot of teachers assume that students should have plenty of time to complete their work on the weekends, but in actuality, sometimes the weekends are the busiest time for students. I usually work, or maybe babysit, and then have some sort of school-related activity. Like for the past two weeks, I had had play rehearsal every day (Mon.-Sun.), so I only had a few hours to do my homework, and no time to relax. This caused me a lot of stress, and if I hadn't had any homework on those weekends, then I probably would have been a lot more relaxed. The last exciting proposition on the survey was something like the high school version of a field day. Personally, I'd love this. I loved field day as a kid (although maybe I wasn't great at any of the sports-related activities) and I know of so many others who feel the same. Having a day of fun activities at school would give students a nice break from tedious studies and also create a mental link between school and fun. All three of these ideas sound great, and I know that the majority of students will have voted for them, but will the administration actually act upon these ideas? I suppose only time will tell. While we're waiting to see, I'll just be over here, studying for two tests.