St. Mark's School

You've been away at boarding school and it's time for break. You might feel really excited and can't wait to get home, or you might be glad to be getting a break from schoolwork, Chapel and your roommate, but not so happy about leaving behind your friends and independence. After you have been managing your own life at school, it can feel strange to get back to family rules and expectations. Life at home can feel different when you've been away. Maybe your younger siblings are not only taller than when you left, but have taken over part of your room or are wearing your clothes that you left behind!

While at school, you've been in charge of your social life and free time and it can be hard to all of a sudden feel like your parents have planned your time for you, especially if you want to just decompress and do nothing!

Yoga — a mind-body practice — is considered one of many types of complementary and integrative health approaches. Yoga brings together physical and mental disciplines that may help you achieve peacefulness of body and mind. This can help you relax and manage stress and anxiety.

The Rev. Barbara Talcott, Head Chaplain at St. Mark's since 2009, recently published an essay as a blog post for the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) website. Entitled "Explaining Episcopal Identity," it emphasizes three valued areas as exemplifying St. Mark's as an Episcopal School.

With our students heading home for the summer, I think that is important to share with them an essential part of boosting academic performance that often goes overlooked. SLEEP! There are many benefits of sleep, but our good friends at sleephelp.org helped put together an article that stresses the importance of starting a routine and how this routine will enhance your ability for productivity and concentration in the classroom. Have a great summer.

St. Mark's was very fortunate to host a viewing of the documentary If They Had Known. The film spotlights the perils of mixing prescription drugs and alcohol.