Students can now access the Wellness Center on the second floor of the newly refurbished Tower Building, where they can relax or meet with counselors.
Over the summer, campus staff relocated the Wellness Center from the portable buildings to the Tower Building. According to Wellness Coordinator Andy Barker, the Wellness Center team has received a positive response to the new space.
“Students seem to really enjoy how we have it [the Wellness Center] set up,” Barker said. “We’ve had a good showing of students accessing the center for breaks and just for a chance to de-stress, whether that’s talking to someone, or just taking a few minutes to themselves.”
To visit the Wellness Center during class, students can ask their teacher for a wellness pass. Eventually, students will check in with their student ID and get 15 minutes for a short break. According to Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, the ID system will evolve to incorporate more spaces besides the Wellness Center, however the details of the system are still being sorted.
“There’s a lot of different places on campus who will eventually be able to scan,” Berkson said. “In addition to the Wellness Center, the Tower Learning Center and the library are going to have something. It will all be expanded into one system.”
Although students are still getting used to the new location, Barker said the center’s space has been welcoming and well-suited for their needs.
“I think the benefits of the space definitely outweigh the location barriers,” Barker said. “It’s always staffed and there’s always someone here for a student to talk to if needed.”
Junior Miwa Matsuo said she has mixed feelings about the new set-up.
“The center was kind of hard to find but it feels more professional than in the portables,” Matsuo said.
In addition to having staff for counseling, the Wellness Center hosts craft activities every Tuesday and Thursday during lunch, providing an opportunity for students to unwind with a fun art project.
Renovation work on the Tower Building finished in March, however the elevator was dysfunctional at the end of the 2023-2024 school year and continues to cause issues with accessing the second floor, including the Wellness Center. According to Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, this issue hasn’t quite been fixed but will soon be resolved.
