Grab a crayon and de-stress.

On Friday, October 7, 2016, the Second Annual Community Day at Hershey High School was back in action. There were multiple sessions ranging from puppy petting to PSAT prep. One session in particular was all about coloring.

School counselors Lisa Maggio and Ellen Ott ran the session titled “Coloring Craze.” Maggio and Ott thought coloring would be a fun way for students to spend the morning and interact with peers. “The fall can be a busy time, and we were looking for an activity to help students relax, unwind, and enjoy the company of others,” Maggio said.

Coloring is rumored to be a de-stressor, and stress is a very common problem among high school students. It is also said to help people express themselves when they’re going through a difficult time or even faced with an illness. According to an article on Medical Daily, “One 2006 study, for example, found that mindfulness art therapy for women with cancer helped to significantly decrease symptoms of physical and emotional distress during treatment.”

Medical Daily also stated that a neuropsychologist named Dr. Stan Rodski published his own line of “adult” coloring books and said it, “elicits a relaxing mindset, similar to what you would achieve through meditation. Like mediation, coloring allows us to switch off our brains from other thoughts and focus on the moment.”

In the Coloring Craze session, about 16 students attended. They were given materials for coloring and were set loose to let their imagination guide them. Soft music was played in the background to set the mood. “It’s relaxing,” junior Olivia McDonald said, “I get to focus on something that I enjoy.”