By Liam Reilly
@liampreilly852
On Tuesday, Springfield College held their ninth annual Fresh Check Day.
Fresh Check Day is a mental health awareness event held for three hours on the Naismith Green that focuses on destigmatizing mental health issues through interactive booths and prizes.
There were 12 booths spread out across the walkway, each focusing on something different related to mental health. Some booths involved writing down positive messages to leave for others, and learning about how stress can overflow by carrying water in bowls.
One booth that stood out was “Mind of Motion”. The theme was letting stress out, as those who participated filled water guns with paint and sprayed upon a white canvas to relieve frustration.
Jillian Kenny, a “Mind of Motion” booth member, spoke about what “Fresh Check Day” meant to her.
“It means that this campus really cares about their students and checking in with them on mental health,” Kenny said. “It’s a great opportunity to be a part of something that I’m passionate about and something that is so unique and special to Springfield College.”
Across from “Minds of Motion” was the “Check In Chill Out” booth hosted by the Springfield Counseling Center. In this activity, participants filled out a Google form rating their mental wellness on a 1-10 scale. After completing the form, participants met one-on-one with a member of the Counseling Center, who asked them how they were feeling and handling the pressure college can bring.
The Director of Counseling, Brian Krylowicz, was one of the staff members who checked in on participants.
“For us, it’s destigmatizing mental health – everybody should know that there’s other people around you struggling with some of the same things,” Krylowicz said. . “Nine years ago Christine Johnson and I started this event, so we’ve gotten to sit down with people and ask them what their secret sauce is, their way of getting through tough times. It helps with taking away stereotypes and the barriers that get in the way of working on your mental health.”
The Fresh Check event was also a great way for first-year students to get a grasp on the resources on campus. First-year student Michael DeJoseph enjoyed learning about the Counseling Center.
“The counselors here were really cool, the community coming together and people showing genuine care to each other is what makes me love it,” DeJoseph said.
After someone finished a booth’s activity, they received a stamp. Once they received stamps from each booth, students handed in their cards to the resource tent and received a ticket for the food truck. The chocolate strawberry and chocolate banana kabobs were fan favorite treats.
Christine Johnston, the Director of Health Promotion and staff member of the resource tent, has been a part of the event for all nine years.
“Having people tell us that this was their favorite day of the year just shows how important mental health is on our campus,” Johnston said. “Being able to talk about mental health in a fun and supportive environment, really normalizing having these conversations about mental health and normalizing checking in with resources such as peer to peer support is essential to our campus community,”.
If you or someone you know is struggling and needs to talk to someone, the Springfield Counseling Center can be reached at (413) 748-3345. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline’s number is 988.
Photo by Liam Reilly/The Student