Protecting your mental health at Samo

As the winter months progress, bringing colder weather and heavier work loads, Samo students may benefit from taking time to decompress through activities offered on campus. Whether it's resources that support mental health, or creative outlets like arts and crafts workshops, there are a variety of opportunities for students to use in order to find balance during these challenging months.

The school library is offering several featured flextimes designed to help students take their minds off of work, including a junk-journaling class that focuses on nature at Samo through studying different wildlife like flowers, insects and trees on campus. Students can learn about the ecosystem, while having the opportunity to participate in something non-academic and stress-relieving on campus. 

Carla Nuñez from the Los Angeles County Office of Education, and Ayanna Pantallion, the flex time coordinator are both a part of the featured flextime team at Samo who are working on getting cooking demonstrations, sound baths and yoga events during featured flextimes in the month of December.  

Beyond the library, there are many resources that specifically focus on the well-being and mental health of students. Samo offers drop-in mental health counseling services in room AD513, where students can meet one-on-one with a counselor. Katie Gershuni, the school nurse, offered some information regarding counseling. 

“We do a lot of referrals.
We have on campus counselors who provide drop in one on one counseling. Those counselors can refer students to psychologists if needed.” 

Health educators from the Venice Family Clinic also come to Samo once a week to help teach students stress management techniques, offering students tools for coping with school pressure and personal anxieties. For those in need of a brief pause, the school offers a “zen room” next to the nurses office, a space where students can take a short break and decompress.  

The school's mental health coordinator, Shuli Lotan, shared additional ways the school promotes wellness.

“We have therapy dogs that come to our ‘Thriving Thursdays’ in the quad at lunch, and a monthly wellness fair where students can get other information about wellness support and stress management,” Lotan said. 

For students experiencing stress and difficulties due to needing basic items, room E113 provides necessities such as clothing, hygiene products, and food items. 

Nuñez, who runs E113, shared the purpose of the room. 

“The goal for us has been to build a more holistic school and a community approach by ensuring that all aspects of the students are supported,” she said. “Everything in this room is free and available for students and their families. You don't have to come and qualify or apply for anything.”

Having outlets from the stress of school is crucial for the well-being of students, especially as academic pressure, long school days and demanding extracurricular commitments continue to build.

Eva Boyd (’26), a student and member of the Student Wellness Advisory Group, which is a Samo club focused on helping students manage mental health, expressed ways she copes with stress at school. 

"It's so easy to get wrapped up in what's bringing you doubt or stress, so it's important to take time to rest. Sometimes I just go to the nurse's office and sit on the bean bags and drink tea when I'm feeling out of it.”

Some students may find that de-stressing from school includes crafting and creative work, while others might just need a space to reset or a person to talk to. With many different options, such as engaging with nature or relaxing alone in places like the zen room, students can choose what works best for them and their mental health.