Wellness Day Inspires, Invigorates, Emphasizes Self-Care

Michelle H. Daino
On Thursday, February 3, students engaged in a variety of workshops which emphasized the importance of different aspects of wellness and self-care. Wellness Day was organized by Kathleen Ketofsky. LCSW (Student Assistance Counselor), Jacqueline Muratore (Assistant Directress - Faculty, Curriculum, and Planning), Kacey King and Dana Goad (School Counselors), Denise Materia (Assistant Directress - Student Life/Director of Athletics), Isabel Gachko (Theology Dept. Chair, Associate Director of Campus Ministry), and Elizabeth Roper (Director of School & College Counseling).
 
The day began with a keynote speech from Dr. Matt Bellace, who reminded the students that "the most beautiful waves come from the biggest storms." He encouraged the students to focus on "natural highs" such as music, watching television, playing sports, and setting aside time to do what they enjoy the most in life.
 
Workshop topics included "Mindful Movement & Meditation," "Street Smart & Sensibility," "Feeling & Seeing Your Future," "Putting People First: Understanding Life with a Mental Health Disorder," "Sports: It's All About the Inner Game," and more.
 
“With the ongoing stress from the pandemic, hosting our Wellness Day for our students is more important than ever," said Ms. Ketofsky. "We are super excited to have professionals from the community lead workshops on a variety of wellness topics that will raise our students' awareness about ways to improve their physical, social, and emotional well-being.”
 
Kacey King, School Counselor and a member of the Student Assistance Committee which arranged the day's events, said, "The Mount has always placed a high priority on the wellness of our students, and we are so fortunate this year to be able to gather as a community to devote an entire day to promoting physical, mental and emotional health to our students and faculty. Wellness Day is a chance for students to learn and reflect about their health and go into the rest of the school year feeling both energized and balanced."
 
Kayley Moran '23 said, "All my classmates and I were looking forward to Wellness Day and we were not disappointed. Our speaker and the different activities we participated in were engaging as well as informative. Personally, my favorite part of the day was our guest speaker. This was a nice way to bring the Mount community together to learn about important topics such as how our choices effect the different parts of our brains. All in all, I believe Wellness Day was an overwhelming success that allowed our student body to focus on mental health." 
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