School-induced anxiety is an issue present throughout the country. In Wayland specifically, the exceptionally high-achieving atmosphere of WHS can be suffocating.

“Honestly, I don’t think it’s the school, I think it’s the town,” school nurse Amy Schoeff said. “It’s high-functioning, high-level parents that want you guys to go to the biggest and the best [places] and do the best that you absolutely can.”

Here are some suggestions from WHS students to help our community with anxiety:

• Talk to a trusted person in your life and allow yourself to get help.
• Try not to procrastinate or cram work at the end of a quarter.
• Check in on your peers.
• The administration can communicate or take input from students regarding school-wide decisions.
• Teachers could communicate with each other so as to not all assign tests, projects, and papers at the same time.
• Meditate and go through breathing exercises as a class.
• Get more sleep.
• Go to the guidance office for support.
• Talk to an adult.
• Find or create a club or anonymous chat site that will give students the ability to talk about their anxiety in a positive and supportive environment.

The question remains: is the problem of student stress and anxiety addressed well at Wayland?

“I don’t know if it is,” Schoeff said. “We’re trying.”

Take this quiz to find out where you fall on the stress/anxiety spectrum.