As deadlines tighten and expectations rise, students at Grand Ledge High School are navigating academic stress in new ways. From adjusting sleep schedules to setting boundaries outside of school, many are challenging themselves to discover what brings them success. According to Chelsi Hillard, the school’s Mental Health and Movement teacher, the final stretch of the trimester can test even the most organized students.
“We all go through a lot of things and there are a lot of students here who are going through a lot where
school is the last thing on their mind,” Hillard said.
While it’s essential to keep students accountable, Hillard emphasizes that open communication among
students and teachers is advantageous.
“When teachers say things that are a bit more welcoming, kids are like yeah, I’ll ask any type of
question,” Hillard said.
While teachers can set their own expectations and rules, giving students the benefit of the doubt helps
reduce pressure in the classroom and create a safer environment, through breaks, encouraging communication, and reminding students you’re there for them emotionally.
“There’s expectations that you can have, and I get there’s deadlines and all that” Hillard said.
Hillard finds that movement and mindfulness are constructive in recognizing signs within yourself or others, and believes these practices should be used more throughout other classrooms to ease stress.
“I think it would be really cool to even just have stress management techniques throughout other classes, or even giving breaks to do something.”

Throughout her teaching, she considers that students only get one break throughout the whole day: lunch. Students need breaks, as they help the mind stay more active and reduce irritability. Hillard uses the example of a study where a group of kids moved around for 20 minutes, while the others sat.
“When it came to behavior and academics, they were able to see growth and that they were doing a lot better in school versus kids that literally just sat there all day.”
Hillard emphasizes it’s good to know how to manage your stress to understand what’s happening to your body, and know how to get rid of it.
“Sometimes it just adds up and you don’t even realize it.”

As the trimester comes to a close, Hillard notices overwhelmedness, irritability, and anxiety in the
classroom. She observes overstimulation, talking fast, and agitation as they work on other classes, and they
begin to shut down. Hillard takes mental health seriously inside and outside the classroom. She believes that students taking note of mental mindfulness and improving communication is crucial to managing stress. Her advice to students is to give yourself a break and journal or create a list of school and home-related, to stay more organized, and that way things don’t build up.

For Emerson Martin, a junior balancing multiple AP classes and several extracurricular commitments, the end of the trimester often feels like a race against the clock. Her schedule consists of AP Bio, AP Literature and Composition, and AP Pre-Calculus- all demanding in many ways. Outside of school, Martin has a job which she works on Sundays, while balancing crochet club and is president of the debate club during weekdays, which she has re-founded after the club in previous years crashed; she also participates in marching band and marching band competitions, wind symphony, National Honor Society, tennis in the spring, and is running tennis conditioning this year.
“I set a bedtime for myself and if I’m not in bed by 11:30 my work just isn’t getting done.”
Martin has taken a lot of her personal and social time to fit in homework, even if that includes staying
from 3-6 after school on some weekdays to get work done.
“I’ve been asking for extensions all the time, but I definitely utilize my C3 time.”
Martin admits she can’t always get everything done, but takes advantage of all the extra time she has. While weekends typically include homework, she also sets aside time for home life and activities she can’t fit
during the week- like spending time with friends, her boyfriend, or playing Roblox.
“How am I supposed to function and have a life if I’m too absorbed in my school work?” Martin said.
Martin finds it helpful to talk to and vent to others who are involved in several activities like she is, to have a mutual understanding of stress and pressure, and that it helps greatly to know that she’s not alone in struggling.
“I talk to people with similar schedules, just so that I’m talking to someone who understands how I feel,” Martin expressed.

Martin encourages students to avoid procrastination and to prioritize sleep, adding that getting enough rest will help them perform better academically and feel better mentally.

Sophomore at GLHS, Sofia McPhee, who has a similar schedule, also experiences tiredness and irritability near the end of the trimester. McPhee shares the changes she has made this year to fit all activities this school year.
“I definitely take more notes and I spend more time on homework, and I don’t get as much sleep,” McPhee said.
This year, McPhee is making changes to better her mental health, and though the changes are quite drastic, they have helped her to be successful academically, aiming for five hours of sleep. She expressed that her long-term goal is to attend the University of Michigan, noting that though it’s a rigorous school to get into, this goal keeps her going.
“That definitely motivates me to get out of bed, even when I get zero hours of sleep,” McPhee added.

McPhee shares that when there is too much pressure, she takes a day to lean back and work at her own pace, which helps her to be more successful. This gives her time to work on things she wasn’t able to
before, and she finds it beneficial to her mental health.
“Me and my friends usually all hang out, once or twice a week, and it’s mostly just to get work done
together,” McPhee shared.

McPhee doesn’t do homework on Friday or Saturday, but Sunday is when she sits down to take a look at what she needs to get done.
“It’s okay to take breaks and it’s okay to take days to yourself to relax, and being burnt out is a very normal
thing,” McPhee said.
McPhee’s advice to students who are struggling is to prioritize self-care and granting breaks to rest and collect yourself. She believes that taking time for yourself is the best way to improve your well-being and mental health.

For other students that are not involved in school activities, school can be just as challenging. Kaden Redman, a senior at GLHS, shares how his mindset has had a play in his performance during the end of the trimesters. Redman has learned through experience how to maintain school, work, and relationships.

“When I first started high school everything was really difficult for me,” Redman said.
Near the end of the trimester, Redman feels more confident than he was when he was first adjusting to high school, and now he thinks more about what his near and far futures hold.
“I think about what’s gonna happen next year and who I want to be around and what I need to focus on and my goals,” Redman said.
Redman still experiences stress, but he doesn’t let that bring him down. During his free time, he helps his mom around the house, spends time with his girlfriend, and focuses on personal needs. He enjoys doing anything that helps others, aiming to finish homework during the day.
“My free time is after school, and only after school,” Redman revealed. Redman believes that teachers could do more to be understanding, noting that technology and social media are shaping how teens live and think.
“I don’t think teachers understand that it’s a whole different world, there’s social media, there’s all sorts
of different things that we get laid upon,” Redman said.
Redman has come a long way since first adjusting to high school, and has learned how to manage most difficulties, with the help of his personal counselor; who has been a great support system throughout his high school years. Redman urges students to try their hardest and work on themselves while they can, because it helps with their overall high school experience.

Overall, students, whether involved in school activities or not, are working on themselves and thinking about how they can ease stress, giving advice to other students how they go about it. All students struggle, and it’s important to come together as a community to navigate and guide each other through the challenges of mental-wellness, stress and growing up during challenging times.