Recently, mental health has become a major issue in Montgomery County, especially among high schoolers. The WCHS Thrive Club has taken it upon itself to shed more light on mental health, taking steps to try and help alleviate students’ stress.

“Thrive Club’s main goal has always been to raise awareness for issues like mental health, eating disorders and academic stress,” Senior club officer Maya Simon said.

One way the Thrive Club has tried to accomplish this goal was through a Wellness Fair in the WCHS gym on Oct. 12th.

“We researched organizations around this area that had similar interests to what our club promotes, contacted them, and asked if they would be interested in coming to WCHS to promote their activity and mental wellness,” senior club officer Geena Shreesha said.

At the event, the Thrive Club set up different booths for the local organizations, such as The Renfrew Center Foundation, which focuses on eating disorders and body image issues, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), which focuses on mental illness. At these booths, students were able to talk to staff members and receive information about each organization. Other activities at the fair included a passport for stamps from each booth, a raffle for free football tickets, free ice cream sandwiches and performances by the WCHS varsity cheer and poms teams.

“Many people attended and there were no changes to the schedule, so there was no problems with students or teachers who may have felt inconvenienced,” Shreesha said.

This fair helped educate WCHS students about many mental health issues and how to deal with them. It also provided students with ways to handle stress, such as aerial yoga and drawing.

“Looking around the fair, you could see students trying things they wouldn’t have before and really breaking out of their shells and having fun,” Simon said.

The fair was a huge hit among WCHS students. Students believe that it was helpful and a good experience, and many hope that this will become an annual event held by the Thrive Club.

“I loved the fair and I thought that it was a great idea. My friends and I hope that this becomes an annual Churchill tradition,” sophomore Perrin Myers said.