Wootton Wellness began on Apr. 8. It occurs once a week in a rotation, a different period each week. It is a 30-minute period of free time, often referred to as a study hall.
The administrative team has instituted several stress relieving programs throughout this school year. Before the Wootton Wellness system was initiated, the school had Patriot Time. This was similar to Wootton Wellness as it also was a stress relieving program. However, Patriot Time was a class discussion on wellness rather than a free period.
SGA previously planned a wellness days full of fun activities. There were a variety of choices allowing students to pick based on their interests, with the common goal of relieving stress on students.
Another program that has been recently instituted is Wootton Wellness Warriors. The deadline for applications was May 30. “We are a group of students and teachers who are passionate about making the Wootton community a more positive place,” sophomore Skylar Rothman said.
Wootton Wellness is a time period for students to feel relaxed and catch up on school work. Due to the time constraints needed for the instructional day, lunch is shortened to give room for Wootton Wellness. According to the Wootton Website, “the goal is for the time to be productive and to reduce stress.”
Students enjoy having the ability to destress during the long day. “I love it. The free period gives me time to relax and prepare for the rest of the school day, or do my homework,” freshman Leona Berhane said.
During the wellness period, students are only allowed to leave their designated class with a pass from another teacher or a Media Center pass. Teachers have a limited number of passes. Playing sports in the gym during Wootton Wellness is not allowed.
On delayed openings or closures, Wootton Wellness is cancelled. Although there were several testing weeks, the administrative team was able to fit two wellness periods throughout these hectic weeks. “It is extra important to have wellness periods in between testing days because that is when students are the most stressed,” Berhane said.
Wootton Wellness has gotten positive feedback from students. “I hope that Wootton Wellness is here to stay. I especially enjoy having the wellness period at the end of the day because I can do my homework before I go home,” Berhane said.
The program will continue until the end of the school year. This was a test run to see if Wootton Wellness should be implemented for years to come. “We have to look at the feedback, but based on what I’ve heard I think there is a strong possibility of the wellness periods continuing next school year,” administrator Jackie Lightsey said.
