Amidst the hurdles of second semester, such as preparing for exams and AP tests, Diamond Bar High School’s Wellness Center is working toward providing students with the space to unwind and speak out against important issues.

As a way to help students manage their stress, the group plans to host its annual DB Forum in the gym on April 6. Unlike previous years, the event will start with this year’s keynote speaker David Lopez, DBHS’ health and kinesiology teacher, motivating students to focus on their emotional well-being. Afterward, students will be divided into three groups and rotate between activities that vary from making arts and crafts to doing physical activities such as yoga and meditation. To close off the event, participants will get the chance to interact with therapy dogs.

“Our main goal is to give our participants a day to detox from stress and rejuvenate themselves,” Wellness consultant senior Rachel Mar said via Instagram. “We want to give students the tools they need to manage their stress in a healthy way so that they can finish the school year feeling confident and strong.”

According to Mar, the general format of the event has changed in order to adhere to CDC guidelines. Aside from ensuring that everyone keeps their masks on throughout the event, participants will be dispersed throughout the gym, with some students participating virtually via Zoom in other areas of DBHS such as the library, fitness room and Wellness Center in order to minimize close contact between participants.

“I’ve been meeting with the school psychologist [Inger Turner] to plan questions for each activity,” Mar said. “All of these sessions will have a learning component and a hands-on component.”

While the wellness group has found DB Forum to function best as an in-person activity, one Wellness Center event that will remain virtual is the annual TED Talks. According to Instructional Dean Julie Galindo, conducting the event virtually makes the talks more accessible to teachers and students alike. Like last year, rather than having teachers taking classes to the theater to watch the presentations, participants will pre-record their speeches, allowing teachers to stream them from their classrooms or post the links for their students to watch.

“I like [the event] virtual because I think that we could potentially meet a larger audience,” Galindo said. “In the event that a teacher doesn’t show it in their class, [students] have the ability to watch it at home.”

Despite her preference for the online format, Galindo said feedback from the student body as well as the staff will ultimately determine whether or not the presentations remain virtual in the future. Currently, the dean is collaborating with other GLCs and Inger Turner, in addition to wellness advisor Denise Mesdjian, to pick the different speakers for the event.

“Our students have amazing stories to tell,” Galindo said. “I love [hearing] each story and what the student has learned from it and how it can make a positive impact on others.”

With both events scheduled to take place sometime before spring break, the Wellness Center is currently focusing on the most effective ways to assist students in ending off the school year on a positive note.