October 10 marked the end of Health and Wellness week, a time where O’Dowd’s Health and Wellness leaders come together to lead the school in activities centered around mental and physical wellbeing. The week has been an essential aspect of O’Dowd’s culture, and focuses on diverse aspects of physical and emotional wellness. 

The week began with Motivation Monday, which was “dedicated to awareness and education or procrastination in high school students,” according to Health and Wellness leader Emerson Besnard ‘26. She described the importance of “informing students on where these problems might be stemming from, and giving them techniques to help them.” Along with other leaders, Besnard researched these topics and then created pamphlets that helped students combat these issues, which were handed out on the school quad.The day also featured a sack race game that represented how stress and procrastination impact students.

Next came Tune-In Tuesday, where students learned how to use music to process emotions. Wednesday brought excitement as health and wellness leaders introduced Eat Well Wednesday, which featured a jeopardy game with prizes.

As the week came to a close, Talk-to-me Thursday created space for students to participate in games designed to start new, open conversations with others. According to Anya Goldberg ‘26, a Health and Wellness leader involved with the day’s preparation, the day gave students “a chance to see that they’re not alone and that there are ways to cope.” 

Finally, on Rest-and-Refresh Friday students showed up in pajamas and slippers, some even carrying stuffed animals. To end the week, Health and Wellness leaders provided free iced tea as students decompressed, relaxed, and connected with each other. According to Besnard, even though a large component of the week is dedicated to informing students on health-related topics like anxiety and sleep, we also promote relaxing and spending time with friends.” Goldberg further emphasized that “Health and Wellness week is about making sure students know there’s support for every part of their wellbeing,” said Goldberg. “Not just physical health, but emotional as well.” 

Health and Wellness week is an important part of O’Dowd’s student culture, and allows students to fully reflect on their own goals for personal-wellbeing. As Health and Wellness leader Meera Billion ‘26 puts it, the week “represents a time where students can come together to better themselves and the community.”