Craning your neck to catch a glimpse of the step team, you turn and see hundreds of other smiling, purple-clad classmates. It’s pep rally day, and school spirit is at its peak. But this event is a rarity. People often discuss the lack of fun events at Boston Latin School, and it’s true. BLS students are almost always focused on keeping up with rigorous academics, extracurriculars, or “passion projects,” leaving them with little time to attend events such as sports games that build school-wide spirit. Furthermore, outside of school-sponsored social events, many at BLS struggle to form social lives of their own.
Dividing students into clusters restrains them from exploring friendships at the start of their BLS career. Clusters hinder students from diversifying their friend groups and force most to stick with the same people. Ava Phan (III) remarks, “Coming to BLS, I was introverted and stayed with the same three people. […] It was scary making friends in a different cluster.” Those in the same clusters often join similar clubs and have the same teachers, so they bond over the identical interests and experiences. Although clusters make BLS more organized when sorting the massive student body, the School, as a whole, should make an increased effort to diminish clusters and their confining nature.
Students may also meet others outside of their cluster that they feel closer to, and school activities like sports games are perfect opportunities to connect with new people. Some also might be a part of social groups that do not share the same interests. Instead of strictly having one friend group, students should explore groups with unique interests and hobbies that allow them to learn about themselves and their preferences.
Oriana Dunker (I), who supports this phenomenon, saying, “Being senior class president, I talked to a lot of new people that I didn’t talk to before. […] I feel that’s part of why I was successful, because I didn’t stay locked to a certain clique.” Having different friends challenges your thinking because they can bring in fresh perspectives and knowledge; constantly being around the same views can cause ignorance.
Cliques may sometimes be toxic, and many students may be too scared of losing friends to leave their friend group. Attending games, club events or after school activities aids students in finding friends better for their mental health. Who knows — maybe branching out of your clique can help you find things you’re more passionate about. A new friend may introduce you to a new activity or club you’ve never tried or weren’t initially interested in, and you may end up truly enjoying it.
Dunker remarks, “You might fail once, your friends might not do it, but if you stay true to yourself and keep doing it, a lot of great things can come out of that.” Joining cultural clubs that target certain demographics can also offer a safe space to begin expanding your circle.
Although BLS has made progress in supporting students’ mental health, this can still be improved. BLS has done a great job integrating non-academic days to boost the mental health of students, such as Positivity and Wellness (PAW) Day, where students engage in fun activities that foster positive mental health.
These types of activities, however, should be incorporated more often. The School should create traditions of having cool-off periods after finals to help everyone bounce back and relax from the stressful week. Caela Thompson (III) remarks, “BLS should make mental health day a real event […]. It should be like a no test day, chill lessons, maybe even an ice cream bar for lunch.” Reforming days like PAW Day to be fully dedicated to the students’ mental health would be extremely impactful because more students are likely to attend and benefit from the destressing environment.
Finally, BLS should offer more freedom to engage with each other during school-wide events. Currently, the performative and strict nature of these events means that students aren’t fully allowed to interact with one another. The School should give students more freedom during fun events and incorporate more field trips, if the budget permits.
It is crucial to note that BLS should continue to maintain high academic standards and quality education for all students. It should, however, also strive to better support the mental health and wellness of students.