This past week, Leadership hosted Awareness Week, an event where local organizations and M-A clubs presented a range of activities to inform students on diverse topics during lunch.
Monday: Disability Awareness
On Monday, Independent Living Skills (ILS) teacher Susan Price and her class hosted an interactive workshop for students to learn what it is like to be blind and how blind people use tools like the white cane to navigate everyday life. The club did this in the library, which served as a perfect setting for students to see how crowded and loud places can affect people with disabilities.
Price said, “I think students don’t realize the difficulty of having a disability.”
“When I used the blindfold and white cane, I had to rely much more on my ears,” said freshman Elizabeth Riesch after participating in the workshop.
Tuesday: Substance Abuse Awareness
Leadership hosted a bake sale selling cookies and other baked goods on the Green. Their booth was decorated with cards and pins containing information about substance abuse to spread awareness about the issue.
“We are working with Allcove, an organization that helps with treatment,” said sophomore Caroline Rose. “It’s important to spread awareness about substance abuse because it’s something we see a lot at school that has an impact on many students in this community.”
“It’s a topic that people don’t talk a lot about,” freshman Jocelyn Tiburcio added.
Sophomore Shoko Rosenthal, who bought a muffin from the booth, said, “I feel like drugs are such a big problem at M-A, especially vaping. I think this event will help people see how bad it is.”
Wednesday: Environmental Awareness
Environmental Day was the most eventful of the week as many clubs, AP Environmental Science (APES) classes, and outside organizations participated in the festivities.
APES classes held a car showcase, displayed colorful posters, and interactive activities demonstrating the importance of saving the environment.
“We made a card game that explains the recyclability and decomposition of plastic,” said senior Rowan Kelly, an APES student. “It’s important that people learn about this because plastic is so widespread now.”
Junior Emily Pecore, a student in the Bay Area Youth Climate Summit (BAYCS) said, “We’re advocating for different environmental bills and pieces of legislation. A lot of people don’t know about the politics of environmentalism.”
Local non-profits also participated in the event. Laurel Wee, a member of Grassroots Ecology, said, “We do habitat restoration through community projects. We are advocating for improving local ecosystems where people live.”
She continued, “We are telling students about our youth summer program, which is an eight-week program where high school students can get involved and learn about the environment and nature around them. Last summer, we had two or three M-A students join our program and they really enjoyed it.”
Thursday: Women's and LGBTQ+ Rights
Thursday celebrated women and the LGBTQ+ community. On the Green, a line of clubs hosted fun interactive activities for students to indulge in and learn more about the history and rights of these groups.
“Our booth has LGBTQ+ flags that people can take home. Students can also make paper origami,” said sophomore Olivia Tantsira, a member of the Queer Asian Voices club. “I think our club is very niche, it helps spread different perspectives and creates a safe space for students.”
Junior Silvana Schmidt, co-president of the Women in Literature Club, said, “Our book club focuses on female authors and we have conversations on women’s issues and feminism in society. Today, we sold cookies that are each packaged with a small biography about an influential women author.”
The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Club hosted an interactive jeopardy-style trivia that included activists, rights, and queer history. Students eagerly lined up to win prizes ranging from stickers to popsicles.
GSA president and senior Lillen Montague-Alamin said, “LGBTQ+ history is often under taught. It’s crucial that LGBTQ+ members know their rights so they can exercise them.”
Friday: Mental Health Awareness
Mental Health Awareness Day was the last day of Awareness Week. To start off the day, Leadership created heart-shaped post its with motivational messages and spread them all around campus. During lunch, the Green was vibrant with students checking out an abundance of organizations and clubs.
Moshe Joshua, a member of the San Mateo District Attorney Victims Service Division, said, “We’re here to let people know about their rights if they’re a victim of a crime and to advocate for victims by spreading the word.”
“We know it is difficult to look for resources when you’re in a place of need,” said Kinsey McBryde, a member of the domestic violence organization Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA). “Our goal is to let people know even if they’re not a survivor of domestic violence, that we are here for them.”
The One Love Foundation set up a poster where students could write their versions of healthy love and unhealthy love.
“It’s important to spread awareness about this because I don’t think it’s talked about enough,” said junior Ruby Pence, a member of the One Love Foundation. “I think a lot of people don’t realize that their relationships are unhealthy.”
From hands-on workshops to trivia games, Leadership was able to teach students about topics that are often overlooked. Students were able to obtain resources, support, and guidance from different organizations and groups.
Senior Rida Bhat said, “I think Awareness Week is a really smart thing for the school to do to introduce kids to all these resources because they could be dealing with something at home or personally.”
