During my third Health 11 class this year, we had a discussion about our opinions regarding the potential of Marlborough adding mental health days. The proposal was that each student would be given five days of excused absences to spend time taking care of their mental health. Besides the complete improbability of this happening, the general consensus was that even if given the option to take mental health days, none of us would ever use them because missing school actually exacerbates stress. 

This is where Community Days come in, or I should say, came in. Essentially, Community Days were mental health days but left students free of the anxiety that comes with missing school. By providing us with time to study or just hang out with friends, Community Days allowed students to step away from the stress of class and reset during the seemingly interminable, hectic nature of school. 

But that’s essentially all over now. Although the amount of Community Days seemed to decline by the second semester of last school year, it is now official that they are less frequent for the 2023-2024 school year, occurring only on days such as Pumpkin Day.  

Personally, I know that I will deeply miss Community Days. After quarantine, when we all returned to school, Community Days helped me to get back into the flow of school by easing the transition of returning. When I entered 10th grade the next year with an immensely increased workload, I appreciated Community Days even more, especially during the first semester when they were most common. I recall being able to spend time with my friends, but more importantly, having time to catch up on massive amounts of schoolwork. 

However, by the second semester of school last year and this year as well, those deeply beneficial implemented breaks vastly diminished. Community Days were necessary for me to mitigate the seemingly endless slog of school; without them, the much-needed, but far away days off become hard to see as I slowly become mentally and physically worn down from the interminable exertion of school. 

Last week, during a rare but treasured Community Time day after the PSAT, I cherished the chance to pull up to school in Birkenstocks and my Amoeba Music sweatshirt and watch an hour of “American Murder” with my friends before settling in to write my “Beowulf” essay. These vital days not only help our community bond, but they also give me the necessary time to finish schoolwork, and I hope Community Days will be reinstated at full force one day.