It’s no secret that high school is a stressful time. Between balancing classwork, clubs, sports and a social life, it’s easy for students to feel overwhelmed, and managing mental health amidst these...
Rising to the occasion, West hosted its 21st Special Olympics on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968, Special Olympics was created in response to discriminatory actions and behaviors...
![Mounting school pressure can leave many students overworked and overstressed. Schools must give students the necessary resources to help assuage student mental health issues and prevent the development of serious crises. “The biggest thing [schools] can do [to protect student mental health] is offer more time [to do work], like a study hall, or offer more support from teachers so that students don't feel stressed out and can get help in areas that they need,” senior Bhavya Gupta said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/unnamed-4.jpg)
![Performing a dance, athletes wave their pompoms in the air as special education teacher Wendy Zieleskiewicz stands behind them. Zielesckiewicz, who has been teaching for 25 years, didn’t know what she wanted to pursue until she remembered her love for children. She now sees her students benefiting from Special Olympics. “It's really fun to see [athletes] grow. [Special Olympics is] incredible — It's high energy, it's a lot of fun. It's cool to see the kids all working together and having a good time. They make connections with other students, [and] it's amazing to see how much fun they have. I hope that they can make and maintain relationships with people that are not in this classroom. I always encourage [my students] to participate [in Special Olympics] because it is a lot of fun and even if they don't make a best friend, you still have an opportunity to grow,” Zieleskiewicz said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/unnamed-5-1200x798.jpg)