Stressed Freshman Anni looking at an assignment on her computer.

Photo credit: Jackson, 9th grade

Summer came to an end and life at the GCDS high school kicked into high gear, and now students are reminded of the stress that academics can bring into day-to-day life.

Stress affects different people in different ways as they all live different lives, but, that does not make the issues of stress any less apparent in the daily lives of high school students everywhere. 

Sophomore Reese’s major cause of stress is simple: “Homework…Why is there so much?” This was a common concern among students. Kylie—a junior— echoed the same concerns about homework, saying, “Psychology homework. I just feel like it’s a lot and I’m kinda scared I won’t finish it in time for tomorrow.” Similarly, feeling like there are not enough hours in a day to balance academics, extracurriculars, and social life is a recurring issue in sophomore Alex’s days. As she puts it, “Sometimes I feel like I don’t have enough hours in a day to balance it all.” She often finds herself wondering, “Will I have enough time to get my work done and play sports?”

However, schoolwork is just one of the factors that contribute to student stress around the school. Kylie explained that her performance anxiety creates a mindset that something will not go well before she does it — interfering with potential growth in multiple facets of daily life. “I do rowing and a couple of clubs, but rowing causes me the most stress by far. I’m just not very good at it and don’t want to be judged.” 

When asked about extracurriculars and stress levels, Kaylee, a junior, said that her work with clubs causes some stress. “I’m in a lot of clubs so some days I just have really long days…when I have car door openings I wake up at like 5:45 and I have club meetings in the afternoon…it’s not really stressful, it’s just tiring and draining.” She explained that she understands how having busy schedules and a hectic workload creates a lot of daily stress.

With students reporting high stress levels to each other, many have raised questions about what GCDS is doing.

Azsadee, 11th grade, was overwhelmed with work.

Photo credit: Teddy, 11th grade

Senior Vaughn was asked if GCDS does a good job in supporting them and managing their stress. “No,” he replied. 

Dr. DeTeso’s lack of availability makes it hard for students to get the help they need and want. While the students agree that Dr. DeTeso is a great resource for students who are feeling stressed, many times students feel like that is not an option, since he is so busy. Kaylee thinks that having more psychologists and counselors at GCDS Upper School would be extremely beneficial for the community. She says, “he’s always so booked because everyone wants to talk to him because everyone’s so stressed out all the time.”

We also asked Vaughn about how the GCDS support systems can improve. He spoke about student wants and potential ideas for the future. He started by suggesting, “They could just like…give the seniors a lounge.” He also said, “In my freshman year (2019) [GCDS] did a better job with it for sure. The snacks were good so I felt more comfortable when I was able to have a good snack.” Vaughn noted that although he thinks it is good that they have fruit in the dining hall during the day, he said he would like to have more bagged snacks (i.e. chips) for more convenient and on-the-go options. 

Overall, some students are more comfortable reaching out for help than others. But, sometimes help is not as available as it should be. With Dr. DeTeso extremely busy, it is hard to see him in times of stress and need. Some students, like Kylie, try to handle all of this on their own because they feel that they will not be heard and have no one to talk to which leads to more stress. Hopefully, students at GCDS will find a way to be less stressed, communicate more with their teachers, or find healthy ways to deal with their stress. Should GCDS students find ways to deal with this on their own? Or will GCDS help their students feel more cared for?

Not every student at GCDS is stressed.

Photo credit: Teddy, 11th grade