School is boring. School is no fun. Words spoken by many who look forward to the weekend and some much needed R&R. Yet others look forward to something else entirely. Several students and teachers alike have several things they like to do ranging from clubs and hobbies to just things they do to help reduce stress. Activities like these are crucial to maintaining a healthy mindset and can even make those boring school days more fun.

Extracurriculars that involve various forms of fitness are a must. For sophomore Charra Jackson, getting out there and getting active is important, something she can accomplish by being part of Cheer, which takes place Monday through Thursday after school. 

“I get to do cool cheer stunts and make new friends,” Jackson said.

Even though an activity is involved with school in some way, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun. Students like Jackson enjoy what they do because it allows them to meet new people, and is just overall a fun experience. 

Like students, teachers and faculty members also find it difficult to keep up with life at school at times. Ms. Flores, a librarian in the FHC Learning Commons shared how she deals with stress.  

“[I] go home and relax. Sometimes I watch TV and sometimes I play video games,” Ms. Flores said. “I like to destress from the busy day of work.”

Although physical activity is great for many, some prefer to just take things easy and relax with what makes them comfortable and happy. Whether it be sleeping, watching TV, hanging out with friends or family, or something entirely different, there are several ways to deal with stress. When it comes to his time after school, freshman Alex Fumagalli prefers the third option. 

“I hang out with friends because it’s fun and it’s good to socialize and make memories with them,” Fumagalli said. 

Many students and teachers at FHC agree that too much stress can definitely be a huge problem, one of them including Dr. Jason Becker, an English teacher in Room 147, who shared his final thoughts on extracurriculars as a whole and how it relates to the problem of mental strain.   

“We go from screen to screen, chair to chair, all day, all week, all month,” Mr. Becker said. “Unless you find a way to break through that pattern, it can absolutely eat you alive.”