MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-UPS

By Addie Astley, Miranda Laabs and Peyton Walker, sophomores, staff writers

Mental health is one of the most important things in our lives. Keeping our mental health well is something everybody should be worried about. From childhood to adulthood, mental health should be important through every stage. Mental health affects how we act, feel and think. Having a healthy mental state is a part of having a happy life. Having a low mental health can affect you, the people around you, and your relationships without even meaning to. Everybody should be having monthly to weekly personal checkups to make sure their mental selves are good.

Having a low mental health is unhealthy for a person. It has many negative side effects like tiredness, low energy, paranoia, delusions, problems, coping with problems or stress and depression. There are ways to improve your mental health better like taking a mental health day, talking to someone, eating a brain-healthy diet, relaxing and staying active. These can all improve your mental state and help it become better. Giving yourself a mental break is an important step when growing as a person and an adult.

Throughout every stage of life, mental health is important. Our mental health affects how we think, act and feel. More than one in five U.S. adults are affected with a mental illness. And along with that, one in five children between the ages 13-18 live with some type of debilitating mental illness. Many different factors can contribute to someone’s mental state. Some factors may include adverse childhood experiences, trauma or medical conditions, as well as use of drugs or alcohol. Someone’s mental state can change over time, and no days are exactly the same. Demands that are placed on someone can be too much at some times, and this could impact someone’s mental health.

School can be stressful, and a student’s mental health can be hurt with too much stress. Adequate sleep, nutrition and exercise are crucial to maintaining mental health. Some schools and colleges have programs and services to help aid mental health. 

This can affect people in many ways. For example, it can cause kids to act out. Mental health problems are common and need to be addressed in schools. Only 40% of students with emotional behavior graduate from high school. One of the problems families run into is the teachers not recognizing the behaviors. All kids’ behaviors are different, so not all schools can take the same action.

Kids with mental disorders need different kinds of help from the school system to function properly. Kids with anxiety should be treated differently than kids with physical or different mental disorders. Kids with problems at home could struggle because they’re worried about what might happen when they get home. As a parent, you could take action and get them into the right schools to help them get treated correctly. It would also be helpful to talk with the teachers before school starts so they know what would happen. These are just some of the steps and reasons people could take.

Information for this article was taken from- https://www.acmh-mi.org/get-help/navigating/problems-at-school/

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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE?

By Maggie McCarthy and Addie Astley, sophomores, staff writers

Exercise improves your life in more ways than you might think. First, exercise strengthens your bones and muscles and helps you manage weight. Having a healthy weight is important so you can do everyday activities and reduce the risk of diseases. Second, the more you exercise, the better you will sleep. Good sleep helps you manage your mood including your self-esteem.

Furthermore, exercise not only helps you physically but also mentally. Studies show that the more you move, the more your brain releases “feel-good chemicals.” These chemicals include endorphins and serotonin. Additionally, exercise boosts self-esteem, which is also your confidence and how you handle stress. In conclusion, everyone should be exercising for at least 30 minutes every day.

There are many benefits of exercising at least 30 minutes a day regularly. What daily exercise can do for your body is help maintain or lose weight, as well as strengthen your bones and muscles, help your ability to stay active and do everyday tasks, and boost your metabolism. It can also help with your appearance and how you look.

Daily exercise cannot only help your body but improve your mental health, too. Exercise can improve your brain health and reduce risks of diseases and health problems. It can also improve your mood, boosts your energy and promotes better sleep. In addition, exercise doesn’t have to be dreadful. Find something that you like doing and enjoy it, have friends join in and socialize.

Information for this article was gathered from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/physical-activity/benefits.

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GREENFIELD CLEANUP PROJECT

By Miranda Laabs, sophomore, staff writer

On May 28, Panorama students who are members of National Honor Society, Student Council, and the Service Program went to Greenfield to provide assistance with cleanup. Students took a bus to Greenfield and spent their day helping to pick up debris that had been scattered around due to the tornado that had gone through days before.

Students who participated in this were Gabe Wagner, Cole Carstens, Brayden Meinecke, Nate Geckler, Miranda Laabs, Gracie Recker, Ava Thompson, Aryilan Steenblock, Tyme Boettcher, Jaidyn Sellers, Jessica Randol, Zoey Hambleton, Elizabeth Snyder, Madelyn Carstens, Kelsey Laabs, Alexis Wasson, Faith Recker, Joel Cooper, Eli Cooper, Baylyn Herring, Karleen Ploeger and Natasha Inaty.

All of their work was appreciated. Thank you to all who came and volunteered. More help is needed for the Greenfield community. Supplies and donations of water, clothes, first aid, etc. can be donated as well.

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FRIENDSHIPS

By Holliday Mertens, freshman, staff writer

In school, you might meet new people you otherwise would have never known. You can connect with this person and like each other to the point you become friends. Friends can make someone excited to go to school, where they otherwise might be bored. Especially in high school, it is important to have friends to get you through the day. Here are some things to keep in mind when making friends in high school.

Only become friends with someone you want to become friends with. If you become friends with people because they or someone else forced you to, it will not be a good friendship. Don’t make too many friends either. Once you walk across the stage to graduate, you will never see a lot of your classmates ever again, including friends. Of course, you can stay in touch with the people you like the most but don’t get too attached to someone. One final piece of advice is to not worry about romantic relationships. Most likely, these relationships will not last past high school, so, once again, don’t get too attached to someone you will likely never see again after you graduate.

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END-OF-THE-SCHOOL-YEAR FESTIVITIES

By Marlee Herring, eighth grader, staff writer

May 29 was the last day of school. Students in grades 6-11 started the day with a year-end assembly. Students were honored for being on both the middle school and high school softball and baseball teams and wished good luck for their seasons. Other students were acknowledged for being on the honor roll terms 1, 2 or 3, being TEAMS competition participants, and receiving PBIS awards. Both middle school and high school student councils for next year were announced as well.

To celebrate the last day of school, students had a luau. The students had lunch and were allowed to sit outside, play games and socialize. Some of the games included corn hole, spike ball and a dunk tank. There was also a food truck that sold doughnuts. Students had the chance to have a fun last day full of activities. This tradition will hopefully continue for years to come so students can have a fun end of the year.