Using grant support from The McLean Community Foundation, JAF supported McLean High School in putting on a Stress Less, Laugh More week during their spring semester! The activities that were put on are as follows: Monday, April 25: Students could check out Stress-O-Meter banner and pick up a “fortune” with “take a break ideas” on them during lunch […]
Thanks to a grant from The McLean Community Foundation, JAF helped provide materials and support for Longfellow MS’s 2016 Stress Less, Laugh More Week, helping students destress as SOL season and the end of the school year approaches! Every day featured a different morning funny on the news and music played between periods, as well as […]
This past spring, students at Hayfield Secondary School and Thomas Jefferson High School made videos to help promote mental health awareness during one of the most stressful parts of the school year! In their video, Hayfield students announce the various themes for each day of their 2016 Wellness Week, all meant to help students celebrate destressing! The video made for […]
This past April, JAF supported Oakton HS in putting on its very first Mental Health Awareness Week! Here is an article in the Oakton Outlook, the school’s student newspaper, detailing what happened on each day of the week. On Monday, speaker Pablo Campos visited the school and gave a presentation on his experiences with ADHD, depression, and substance use while in high […]
With a grant from The McLean Community Foundation to support Stress Less, Laugh More campaigns in McLean-area schools, JAF supported Franklin Sherman Elementary School in putting on a series of three mental health-centered weeks: Laughter Week in April Calm Week in May Service Week in June See below for a more in-depth look into each […]
A group of Langley High School students held a bake sale, during which $460 was raised for JAF! It’s not too late to donate–click here to do so!
Last year, Briar Woods High School in Loudoun County put on a successful Stress Less, Laugh More Week! All week, music played in the morning as well as during the 5-minute period between blocks; the students and staff loved the music. There also were hula hoop contests, Laugh More photo booths, and mini-games (for example, […]
Along with yoga, JAF has also been working to introduce mindfulness exercises to teens. Mindfulness, which involves learning to tune into and accept one’s thoughts and feelings in the present moment, has been shown to have many potential benefits for students, and especially adolescents. Research has shown that mindfulness exercises can result in improved academic performance, better stress management, and […]
With end-of-the-year tests fast approaching, Longfellow Middle School put on a fun and active Stress Less, Laugh More Week! Every day had its own theme and unique activity to help the students prepare for the stress of school and tests in a healthy way: Monday – “Happy Chalk” Students had the opportunity to draw on the sidewalks outside […]
This year, Rocky Run Middle School hosted a successful Stress Less, Laugh More week for their students! Their daily agenda included a variety of stress-relieving efforts, like replacing their bells with a fun song or including inspiring quotes in the morning announcements; there were also activities everyday in the cafeteria so all students could get a […]
Maggie Bertram, a member of the Active Minds Speaker’s Bureau, shared her powerful story of struggling with anxiety and an eating disorder while in college, as she tried to portray the “perfect image” of herself to others. Yet on the inside, she felt lost and only until confronting her mental health disorders and seeking treatment, […]
This was the first year that Poe Middle School in Annandale, VA ran a Stress Less, Laugh More Week and it was a huge success. JAF provided Laugh More buttons and Benefits of Laughter postcards. Daily Themes & Activities: Monday: During lunch: Graffiti Wall in cafeteria Stress Less, Laugh More and Positive Message posters on walls: students […]
The third annual Stress Less, Laugh More week at McLean High School was a resounding success! JAF supported the campaign by providing Laugh More buttons and stickers, Get Help educational postcards, spray paint, candy and free yoga. Daily themes and activities: click here for agenda Monday: Pay It Forward Banner with notes Spray paint the rock Tuesday: […]
The first annual Wellness Week at Cedar Lane School in Vienna, VA was a success with staff and kids! JAF supported the program by providing Laugh More buttons, 1-in-4 buttons, Benefits of Laughter postcards, Get Help postcards and Laugh More stickers. Daily themes and activities: Laugh More Monday: What Makes You Laugh? Share jokes; […]
The students at Langley HS chose JAF to be the recipient of their annual RAVE-A-THON fundraiser held at the school on March 15th, 2014 from 12 midnight to 4am. Over 400 tickets were sold and the event raised $13,576.84!! THANK YOU to all the kids, parents and donors!! Signage letting kids know that funds were […]
January 24 – 29, 2014 – Stress Less, Laugh More at Langston Hughes Middle School. JAF supplied 1,200 Laugh More buttons, 300 friendship bracelets, 300 motivational/character pencils and resources. Friday: “Laugh More” – What Makes You Laugh? Monday: “Safety Nets/Resiliency” – Who is Your Go-To Person? Tuesday: “Reducing Stress” – How Do You Cope With Stress? Wednesday: […]
December 2 – 6, 2013 – Centreville High School’s Mental Wellness Week Mellow Monday: Students watched a “Healthy Living Tips” video Water bottles were distributed before school with “Stress Less Smile More” stickers emphasizing the importance of staying hydrated Mellow music played during lunch to provide a calm, stress-less atmosphere Kids wore pajamas to […]
JAF was pleased to support John Champe High School’s 1st annual Mental Wellness Week by providing Laugh More buttons, resource materials and free yoga to staff and students. JCHS is a brand new high school in Loudoun County. Their Director of School Counseling was Josh’s counselor at South Lakes HS and is a firm […]
Since last year’s Mental Wellness Week (see post), South Lakes HS has officially started an Active Minds club which sponsored this year’s highly visible and impactful week. Tuesday: “Reducing Stress” – activities in the cafeteria during all lunches will be focused on sharing ideas on how to reduce stress. Depression screening of the junior class. […]
McLean High School’s 2nd annual Stress Less, Laugh More campaign was another success! JAF was pleased to support the campaign by providing Laugh More buttons, stress management/benefits of laughter postcards, resource materials, spray paint, candy and free laughter yoga Activities during the week include the following: Monday – Nutrition Day food facts healthy snacks after school […]
We are excited to share that the Laugh More, Stress Less campaign is not only impacting students in the US, but overseas! Facing the same AP and final exam schedule as their US counterparts, the students at the Patch American School benefited from a week focused on stress management and the benefits of laughter. Their […]
The Active Minds chapter at TJ ran their 2nd annual Stress Less, Laugh More campaign during one of the most stressful times of the year – right before AP and final exams. Here are some of the activities: Free food Laugh More buttons Limbo TED talk: “Happy Secret to Better Work“ Stress balls Finger painting […]
“47 LB students attempted suicide last year.” This heart-dropping sentence begins the article, Mental Health Awareness deserves more than a week, in Lake Braddock High School’s paper, written by editor-in-chief, Divya Williams. This is one of the most head-on, straight-forward articles that we have seen printed in a school paper thus far. Other sobering stats are […]
At JAF, our goal is to fund programs in high schools that could’ve impacted Josh and stopped him from making the irrevocable decision to end his life. We believe that goal was accomplished this week. JAF along with our partner, Safe Community Coalition, brought Active Minds speaker, Jordan Burnham to four high schools (McLean HS, […]
The week before AP exams is one of the most stressful times of the year. Interested students, counselors and administration came up with the following “Stress Less, Laugh More” campaigns that were implemented during the week of April 30th – May 4th. Langley High School – All week was pajama week. School rock was […]
Students, counseling staff and administration collaborated on and implemented an entire week of programs to educate students on mental health issues. Each day had a theme and targeted activities. Monday: “Welcome to Mental Wellness Week” – Students wrote something that they liked about themselves/what they would not change on a sticky note and posted on […]