Empowering students to think critically and creatively since 1913
VOLUME 110 ISSUE 2 OCTOBER 18. 2023
IN THE NEWS
SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL 1401 FREMONT AVE, SOUTH PASADENA, CA 91030
HOMECOMING DANCE
SENIOR MEETING
FALL PLAY
ASB will host the dance at the Arroyo Seco Golf Course on Saturday, Oct. 21.
The Class of 2024 will host a senior organizational meeting during late start on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
SPHS Drama will put on the fall play on the weekends of Nov. 3-5 and Nov. 10-12
MENTAL HEALTH WEEK
STORY ZOE CHEN PHOTOS RACHEL (SHIN-HYE) CHOI
were supplied with the necessary materials for students to create what the mediators called “rock friends,” or pocket-sized rocks painted with unique facial features.
T
The mediators wrapped up the week with Friday’s Community Picnic, a grand finale of sorts aimed at improving students’ overall social well-being. The event took place on the outer grass of the softball field and featured organizations from all across campus. The Hidden Opponent, a campus club focused on athlete mental health awareness, set up a stall for the event, as did Natasha Stebbins, the school’s social worker. Free pizza was catered in to be given out to all student attendees, and puppies were brought to campus to playfully interact with students. The picnic also included music, gift card giveaways, temporary tattoos, and a smattering of craft projects like gratitude flowers and bracelet making.
he Peer Mediators held their first ever campus Mental Health Week from Oct. 3 to 6, hosting various lunchtime activities in correspondence with National Mental Health Week, the first week of October. These activities aimed to relieve the mental burdens that students can experience. The Peer Mediators are led by seniors Marlee Foster and Rowan Smith. “The idea is to get people to know that we’re posting resources, so we hope that they’ll be more aware of how to benefit their mental health,” Foster said. “These activities, we hope, are like a way to get students involved and learn about their mental health.” Activities were hosted each day of the week across the high school campus, advertised by hand-painted signs hung on the wall of the 300s building and posts on the Peer Mediators’ Instagram page. Students were welcomed into room 316, SPHS teacher Rama Kadri’s classroom, as the mediators kicked off the week with Tuesday’s Reality Tea-V event. Students enjoyed freshly brewed herbal teas while watching reality TV, which provided them with the opportunity to take their minds off academic stressors. Yoga with Jaroch took place on Wednesday, Oct. 4. The activity brought students to the language balcony, on which yoga mats had been rolled out. Students were invited to join in as Katie Jaroch led a series of yoga poses under the warming sunlight, a calming activity for students to unwind. With the week nearing a close, a popular rock painting activity was held on Thursday. Tables set up outside of the counseling center SPECIAL EDUCATION
Mental Health Week differs from the mediators’ Wellness Week, which is held biannually before finals each semester. Wellness Week is specifically designed to help students relieve stress brought by finals. Mental Health Week directs at a broader spectrum, aiming to help improve all aspects of students’ mental health. While Wellness Week targets school-related stress and anxiety specifically, Mental Health week branches out to educate the student body on additional mental illnesses and the available help resources. “[The goal of] Mental Health Week is we’re trying to educate [students] on different mental illnesses,” Smith said. “Not just in school, but throughout life.” Both Smith and Foster were extremely pleased with the outcome of the Peer Mediators’ first Mental Health Week. They hope that the Peer Mediators will continue to host activities for National Mental Health Week in years to come. SPHS BATHROOM POLICIES
ANTIDEPRESSANTS
The number of students eligible for the Special Education department at SPHS increased significantly during the pandemic, putting faculty through unreasonable stress and responsibility.
Tiger discusses the numerous complications that arise from the lack of security personnel in SPHS, most notably the inaccessibility of campus bathrooms.
Tiger examines the impact and science of antidepressant medications, while touching upon the ironic duality of their influence on a patient’s overall well-being.
Page 3
Page 5
Page 11
TIGERNEWSPAPER.COM