By Kayla Samimi
Executive News Editor
Mira Costa’s Social and Emotional Wellness Committee hosted its first Fishbowl Activity on Wednesday in room one at Costa, where eight students shared their experiences with common causes of stress faced by the student body followed by a Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Trustees workshop.
Administration created this committee, consisting of students, parents and Costa staff members, last fall in order to create long-term benefits for students. Since then, it has met at least once a month to plan events such as the Fishbowl Activity. During the activity, moderator and English Department Co-Chair Jonathan Westerberg asked students questions about stress in high school.
“What surprised me the most was how willing students were to open up,” Costa counselor Eliza Santarosa said.
Associated Student Body President Duke Mahr organized the event by reaching out to students. Seniors Jamie Hoffman, Katie Tominaga, Ronald Clinton and Trevor Todd, junior Sophie Greenhouse, sophomores Faith Hadley and Ella Trodd and freshman John Darcy spoke.
“It was really emotionally draining watching the Fishbowl,” Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale said. “The student responses were just overwhelming.”
According to MBUSD Board President Ellen Rosenberg, the purpose of the event was to get more students involved with the committee’s work while also allowing attendees to listen to the challenges faced by high school students.
“The teachers were given a rare perspective on students’ thoughts,” Hoffman said. “Having teachers take time out of their day to listen to us proves that they want to help.”
At the board workshop later Wednesday evening, committee representatives allowed attendees to comment about the next steps for the committee. Attendees discussed how stress often stems from the importance placed on future plans.
“We don’t have good answers now, but we do know that we need to do something different in the future,” Dale said at the workshop.
The committee has been working with Challenge Success, a Stanford University organization that works to implement methods of promoting resilient, healthy students, to organize events such as the Fishbowl.
The committee applied for Costa to work with Challenge Success in March, and then the organization selected Costa as one of 15 schools to partake in its program. According to Challenge Success School Program Director Margaret Dunlap, the purpose of the program is to work with schools in order to redefine what success is.
The committee’s next meeting will take place on Nov. 14 where Challenge Success coach Paul Franz will meet with the committee to discuss future plans.
“We are excited that Costa has joined Challenge Success,” Dunlap said. “It reflects the school’s interest in promoting resilient students, which is our purpose as an organization.”
The committee is planning to set aside the weeks of Nov. 14 and Jan. 23 to allow teachers to shadow students all day as they attend class.
“We are ultimately looking for a long-term, strategic goal for students,” Rosenberg said. “Nothing is an action item yet, but that is where we are heading.”
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