Strath Haven offers a myriad of academically challenging and rigorous courses and most members of the district advocate that students should challenge themselves in the classroom. While this sentiment is in good faith, it is rare to see the promotion of taking a step back in school and caring for oneself.

Strath Haven has always been ambitious and successful. USNews ranks Haven as the 27th best school in Pennsylvania. For reference, there are about 2,700 high schools in the state, putting us in the top 1 percent. With this comes expectations to succeed, and those expectations breed a culture of hard work and high achievement.

This culture can become dangerous at times, and I fell victim to it though my high school career. Whenever it came time to choose classes, I always felt mesmerized by the plethora of AP classes and challenging opportunities that presented themselves. Never once did it cross my mind to pick a class that didn’t seem to present a rigorous workload, giving me a block to have fun and take a breath in an otherwise difficult schedule.

As I look back, I wish I had taken one of these classes at least once. I wish I had a chance to cool down during an otherwise stressful school day. But, most importantly, I wish that everyone who reads this would keep these classes in mind because, in the grand scheme of things, your health and well-being are much more important than a challenging schedule.*