The scoop on March Awareness week at MHS

Once a year, Massapequa students and professionals get together with the goal of raising student awareness and education regarding issues that relate to most teens through informational workshops.
March Awareness week is an event when the social workers in the Pupil Personnel Suite choose certain days in a week in March and choose issues that are pertaining to many of the teens in Massapequa High School. These workshops show students how to overcome and/or cope with the battle they have and to give them a reason to feel good about themselves.
Social workers, Mrs. Diane Marascia and Mrs. Joanne Waters work their hardest to make students feel that they have help if they ever need it. Massapequa choses guest speakers that are experts in their particular fields.
The chosen workshops typically concern topics that are heard among the student population. “Since, between guidance, social workers, and physiology, we see quite a number of students and we get an idea of the main issues.” Mrs. Marascia said. Topics of concern may include drug misuse, anger management, suicide, alcohol, dating violence, stress reduction through yoga, and responsibility.
This year’s turnout is expected to be huge! Students in Chiefs Challenge and The Active Minds clubs spread the word to everyone. “Students may choose to sign up themselves or teachers may sign up their classes,” Mrs. Marascia said.
The workshops are advertised on a schedule that will be given out to the homeroom teachers and broadcasted on the announcements. This year, to have more people exposed to this great event, they are trying to generate an email or notification through chromebooks.
At the end of the week, students that attended the workshops fill out evaluation forms to help improve the program for the following year.
Students who have attended workshops or are part of them have had major improvement in their life. A student, who has asked to remain anonymous, has been part of the bereavement group for over two years. She has grown mentally because she knows that she has “a group that supports” her, and they all understand what she is going through. The student always goes back every year because it aids her in the recovery process.
March awareness does not expect to make you feel bad for yourself or others; it is held to help and create remarkable stories of success and human growth.

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