Active Minds and the Learning Commons (Learning Center and Library) partnered again to provide an outlet for the Skyline College community to reduce stress during the week of November 17th. It was important to acknowledge the need to step back from school and other pressures as we approached the end of the semester, meeting deadlines, gathering research, and preparing to conclude another semester. The increased or prolonged unhealthy stress can do harm to one’s mind and body, so providing that outlet to relax and have fun will continue to be a necessity!
Not letting a rainy Monday stop the Learning Commons and Active Minds from kicking off “Stress Less Week” with de-stressing activities, Professor Amber Steele hosted “De-stress and Dance” in Building 3 from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m., and then at 10:00 a.m. in Fireside Dining, goodie bags were handed out during the International Educational Week’s “Opening Day.” We continued on Tuesday, 11/18, in Fireside Dining with Super Smash Bros. at 10:00 am until the anticipated Therapy PAT Team visits at 1:00 p.m. in the Library. Both Noodle the Siamese and Meru the Black Lab gave our campus options to pat and snuggle our stress away until 2:00 p.m. For Wednesday, 11/19, “Move and Groove” and “Outdoor Games and Prizes” took center stage as hits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s played in the Quad from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., helping the campus to work up an appetite for the “International Food Festival” that started at 12:30 p.m. in Fireside Dining. And to end “Stress Less Week” on Thursday, 11/20, we had “Pie Your Professor,” “Pop-up Card Making led by the talented Professor Denise Hum, and the popular “Cookie & Cupcake Decorations,” starting at 10:00 a.m. and culminating at 5:00 p.m. During that week, we are grateful that almost 200 faculty, staff, and students took a break and participated in the de-stressing merriment!
I want to thank the Skyline College campus for your continued support and for striving to stress less with Active Minds and the Learning Commons. Thank you to the Active Minds ambassadors who challenged themselves and Dr. Perry Chen to host two-hour events while keeping them fun! Thank you to Dr. Perry Chen, John Chew, Raymon Gutierrez, Monique Ubungen-Wardell, Dr. Pia Walawalkar, and Learning Commons Director Chelssee De Barra for your insight, collaborations, and making these de-stressing events a success. Thank you to Professor Denise Hum for sharing her love in crafting pop-up cards and demonstrating that STEM is connected to art. Thank you to Professor Amber Steele for hosting another exercise activity to help the campus de-stress.
Thank you to Clair Yeo-Sugajski, Essol Garcia-Cuellar, and Thahn Nguyen for collaborating with us during International Education Week, and to both Clair and Thahn for volunteering for “Pie Your Professor.” Thank you to Instructional Aide II and Kababayan Learning Community Counselor Jonathan Justo for also volunteering to be pied!
And a big thank you to the Peninsula Humane Society Coordinator, Marivic Dizon, for the continued support to coordinate therapy cat and dog visits, and to Mazzetti’s Bakery in Pacifica for making our “Cookie & Cupcake Decorating” event a success!
Check back during the Spring Semester for more Skyline College Events! Enjoy the Winter Recess and happy holidays!
Article and photos by Sherri Wyatt
