General Interest

The Importance of Mental Health in School 

By Ephrata Habte

    Mental health is a critical topic that has gained considerable societal attention in recent years. Mental health concerns can manifest from many sources, from individual circumstances to external events. For students, factors such as academic pressure, social dynamics, and extracurricular activities can take a considerable toll, and young people may not always have the tools to cope with these challenges. Without proper care and attention, the impact of these stressors can be detrimental to student mental health. In recent years, schools have taken a more proactive stance on student mental health as the impact of mental illness becomes increasingly well-documented.

School life brings a lot of stressors that can be overwhelming and challenging to navigate. Common sources of academic pressure can consist of: maintaining good grades, meeting teacher and parent expectations, and managing homework and projects. Balancing extracurricular activities such as sports teams, clubs, and additional academic programs can contribute to feelings of burnout and exhaustion. According to the 2019 National Survey of Children's Health Organization, 16.8% of American students between the ages of 6 and 17 experience some form of mental health disorder caused by school-related stressors.

Taking care of mental health is crucial as it impacts every aspect of our daily lives, including academic performance, personal relationships, and physical health. According to the World Health Organization, mental health issues are a leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting about 1 in 4 people at some point in their lives. Good mental health can bring various benefits, including greater emotional resilience, a more positive outlook on life, effective coping mechanisms for stressors, and improved social connections. 

Bayside High School junior Lisa Su stated, "School can be stressful, but I find it exciting when I absorb new knowledge and apply it to my work." 

On the other hand, Bayside High School junior Velronica Kalloo said, "It's a lot to handle getting ready for college applications, working, studying, and keeping up with extracurricular activities all at once." 

Additionally, Bayside High School junior Charlotte Yuisa Ma felt similarly. "There are times when I'm overwhelmed with schoolwork, and it can be challenging to maintain a healthy balance between schoolwork and my personal life," she said.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), schools can better support student mental health by providing access to mental health screenings and assessments, offering resources to families, and promoting mental health awareness. In addition, teachers can incorporate lessons on coping mechanisms and stress management in the classroom. To manage stress and reduce anxiety in school, engaging in physical activity, practicing mindful meditation, or seeking professional help are some helpful strategies. Bayside High School junior Ekjot Dulku stated, “Schools can provide an environment that encourages self-care, such as offering recess, non-competitive activities, mental health days, and additional counseling resources.” 

For the benefit of both teachers and students, mental health must be prioritized in the classroom. Although schools can be great places to study, they can also be quite stressful and put a lot of pressure on students, which can have a long-term negative effect on their mental health. 

Students are able to prioritize their mental health and manage school-related difficulties when they receive the proper assistance from friends, family, and school counselors. Schools must keep giving priority to mental health programs, offering assistance to underprivileged children, and promoting candid conversations about mental health. It is possible to produce a healthier and more capable student population that can thrive in the face of academic stress by encouraging good attitudes toward mental health.

College Tips and Advice From your Fingertips 

By Dylan Kaan Uludag

College is the reality approaching many students in the upcoming years. Unfortunately, with college comes frustrating high costs and tuition. To combat this problem, students apply for scholarships in order to relieve this financial burden. However, looking for scholarships can be challenging, leading to millions of dollars of unclaimed scholarships every year. This inspired Christophor Gray to develop Scholly.

Scholly is an app and website that matches students with scholarships based on their qualifications. It asks users to input information such as their state, race, G.P.A., and grade level. Once the information is filled in, the user is directed to a list of scholarships that they are eligible to apply for. 

Some may be familiar with the app from the popular ABC series Shark Tank, a show where entrepreneurs pitch their companies to “Sharks” who are well renowned and successful business people. In 2015, Gray pitched his startup to the Sharks on Season 6 Episode 20 of Shark Tank. He landed a deal at $40,000 for 15% stake equity with two Sharks, Daymond John and Lori Greiner

During the episode, Gray mentions that he won $1.3 million in scholarships in around seven months time. He describes how he was fueled to attain scholarships from growing up in a low income home with a single mother. Gray’s personal experiences of looking for scholarships inspired him to develop Scholly. 

According to SoFi, “It's estimated that close to $100 million in scholarships go unclaimed each year and $2 billion in student grants go unclaimed. Typically, the money is not awarded due to a lack of applicants.” The money from numerous scholarships can be used by millions of students across the country, but is never claimed. 

This is the issue that Christophor Gray aims to solve. On Apple Developer, Christopher Gray commented, “I realized there’s all this money looking for students, and all these students looking for money.”

Scholly sounds like a great idea in theory; providing students with an easier and more accessible way to find scholarships to apply for. However, how does the application hold up today? Has it found any success? Is it helping students pay off college?

According to Fortune, “Scholly has more than 4 million users and has helped provide over $100 million in scholarships to students across the country.” It is safe to say that Scholly is achieving its goal of aiding students to pay for college.

Christopher Gray visited Bayside High School on December 4th, 2023, along with Daymond John, one of the Sharks who invested into Scholly. The audience consisted of mostly students from the Humanities and Nonprofit Management CTE program. They listened as Gray and John spoke about the company and answered some questions from students. During the event, Bayside High School teamed up with Scholly to award $10,000 scholarships to two high-achieving students.

Scholly is a simple, yet smart application that has helped students across the country with paying their college tuition. Since airing on Shark Tank, Scholly has received the attention it deserves, but there are millions of students still missing out. Scholly’s 4 million users are only a percentage of the total number of college students in the U.S., excluding current high-school junior and senior students who are soon attending college. With the clock ticking, it may be time for students to consider applying to scholarships soon, or even signing up for Scholly today. 

The Impact of Giving Blood

By Karine Zhuo

Donating blood is a vital and unselfish undertaking that can profoundly impact saving lives and strengthen the health of those in need. The process involves a straightforward series of steps, beginning with the donor's registration and a brief medical assessment to ensure eligibility. Subsequently, a healthcare professional collects approximately one pint of blood with a sterile needle. Donors are encouraged to take a brief recovery period afterward to replenish and stabilize blood sugar levels. Many donation centers allow healthy individuals to donate blood after a screening process.

On December 5th, 2023, Bayside High School organized a blood drive for students 16 years of age or older to voluntarily donate blood. Bayside High School senior Brock Weiner Ⅱ exclaimed, “It was a very simple process and I definitely recommend others do it. Donating a pint of blood can save up to three lives and I personally did it because it helped those in need. Also, you get cookies!”

Students who signed up to donate were given a scheduled time to meet in Gym 2, where medical personnel would draw a pint of their blood. Participants were then given refreshments to recuperate. A fellow Bayside High School junior Sabrina Lin aided in the organizing of the event, checking up on the health of students who gave blood. She commented, “I think the blood drive is an amazing event for our school. It allows students to get involved in their community to help others. The blood drive was such a success. I think the students who participated could say the same thing.”

, The act of donating blood directly saves lives by providing a crucial resource for medical treatments, surgeries, and emergency interventions. The donated blood is often used in the treatment of patients with various medical conditions, including those undergoing surgeries, cancer treatments, trauma care, and individuals with blood disorders. According to The National Library of Medicine in Use of blood components in critically ill patients in the medical intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital, “A total of 1,817 consecutive critically ill patients admitted between January 2006 and December 2006 were included in this retrospective study…Nine hundred and eleven (50.1%) critically ill patients, comprising 71.6% males and 28.4% females, received blood/blood components.”

On a societal level, regular blood donation contributes to the overall well-being of communities by ensuring a consistent and ample blood supply. This is particularly crucial during emergencies, natural disasters, and unforeseen events where an immediate and substantial blood reserve is essential. Furthermore, blood donation fosters a sense of community engagement and social responsibility, encouraging individuals to actively participate in the welfare of others. In the article “Giving blood in a time of crisis” by the World Health Organization, they assert, “WHO estimates that blood donation by 1% of the population can meet a nation’s most basic requirements for blood.”

In essence, the impact of giving blood extends beyond just helping those in the community. People can save lives around the world. Through the simple act of donating blood, individuals can contribute to the fast recovery of those experiencing illness and, overall, make society more resistant to disease. 

Treating the Effects of Shin Splints 

By Jennifer Zheng

  Many people may not know what shin splint injuries are. However, many student athletes are quite familiar with this term, as it is a very common injury among athletes.  Shin splints refer to tenderness, soreness, mild swelling, or pain along the tibia, which is located at the large bone in front of the lower leg. 

 Shin splints are typically caused by high-intensity exercise and sports such as running, jumping, basketball, football, soccer, and dancing. It usually occurs if an athlete, especially beginners adjusting to training, suddenly intensifies their training or changes it leading to overworked muscles, tendons, and bone tissues. According to the article “Shin splints - Causes & Symptoms” by the Mayo Clinic Organization, it listed factors that increase risks of shin splints. Runners, especially beginners that suddenly increase their  duration, frequency or intensity of exercise are prone to shin splints. Preventions include correct form, correct shoes, avoiding overuse of muscles, arch supports, strength training, and dispersing growing intensity of sports.

  Many student athletes have experienced shin splints. Bayside High School senior Miranda Grande, a current co-captain on the girls track team, relates her personal experience of first getting shin splints during cross country season, commenting that she first felt a sharp pain that was previously thought to be just soreness. She comments, “But weeks passed and the pain was still there.  Even though I had shin splints, it didn’t stop me from doing what I love, which was running. I managed to get through it and had a good recovery. Currently, for the past week I have applied Bengay or Icy Hot to my shins and wrapped them  with a bandage.” Miranda also added that she recommends using foam rollers to massage the shins to help amplify recovery. 

 Moreover, Bayside High School junior Nathanael Hansen from the boys track team relates, “My experience with getting shin splints was rough. I started experiencing it from the constant impact of running and hitting the ground as hard as I could. The pain was on and off from time to time for over a year where I wouldn’t know what to do. I tried a variety of things like icing, taking medicine, regularly stretching, but none would get rid of pain, it just suppressed it. Eventually, I had to take time off and miss important meets that were really important to me because of underperformance due to the pain. Taking three weeks off during the summer allowed me to come back to school strong for the upcoming season and not feel that pain anymore. In the end, I was able to go six months without feeling the pain that I had in the past, therefore proving that rest and patience is impactful.”

   Similarly, Bayside High School junior Ethan Tang from the boys track team recalls having a bad experience with the first encounter of shin splints. He comments, “It started when I was increasing my running mileage too quickly without giving my body enough time to adapt. The pain was mostly on the inside of my shinbone and would get worse during and after runs. It lasted for almost three weeks. For recovery, I did different types of stretches for at least 10 minutes every day and gradually increased the duration as I felt comfortable.” Once again he also emphasized that recovery would take time and resting as much as possible would be important. 

 Moreover, Bayside High School junior Natalie Niselson, current co-captain of the girls track team, recalls getting shin splints in the winter of her freshman year, lasting on and off until the end of her sophomore year for 9 months straight. She comments, “When I first started experiencing shin splints it started on my left leg, and as soon as I felt that it healed and I could run again, my right leg would start to hurt - it really felt like a never-ending cycle. I tried all the classic remedies of RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and even tried three different physical therapists where the exercises they prescribed ranged from typical stretching to aqua jogging! Sadly, my shins really didn’t feel a difference until I decided to get a complete blood work panel done, and discovered that my vitamin D levels were way too low. Additionally, I swapped my typical Hoka running sneakers for a more cushioned running shoe (at the moment I’m loving ASICS). With the combination of Vitamin D supplements, cloud-like shoes, and total rest, my shins started to feel better after a very long battle. I was able to hold a 35 mile training week over the summer, and now am comfortably running 30 miles a week for my indoor track season without any discomfort whatsoever.” 

  Shin splint experience and recovery length may differ for everyone. Even though getting through shin splints is very painful, discouraging and may be a long battle, the battle is well worth fighting through! It is important to know that athletes should not feel discouraged from shin splints and give up the sport that they love. Rest, rehabilitation exercises, correct form, icing, and strengthening are crucial to a speedy recovery!