Need to Know for Friday, May 7

The month of May is AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, and Mental Health Awareness Month (MHAM), which since 1949, has focused on raising awareness, reducing stigma and providing resources around mental health. Here are some resources you can explore to further your own education about each of these:

• AAPI Heritage Month: Click here to learn more about ways to get involved and educate yourself, and here to learn how to stop AAPI hate and racism. And click here to learn about ways to donate to support AAPI communities and causes. 
• MHAM: As US Counselor Erin Romano says, "We all have mental health. There will be days when our mental health is strong and other times when it is tested, challenged or impacted in a variety of ways. This past year has been incredibly challenging as many of us grappled with fear, isolation, and anxiety, as well as many other emotions brought on by the pandemic." Erin offered some great articles (There is a Name for the Blah you are Feeling, The Other Side of Languishing is Flourishing, and 9 Ways to Reduce Mental Health Stigma) as well as resources (Mental Health Resource List, NAMI Oregon, and Oregon YouthLine) and even strategies for mindfulness (Body Scan, Learn to Deep Breathe, 5 Senses meditation) and movement (Let it Go Yoga and Pre Bed Yoga). 
• Learn more about Jewish American Heritage Month by exploring the ADL (Anti Defamation League) resources or this PBS series. 

NEXT WEEK IN THE UPPER SCHOOL: Monday, May 10—A Day; Tuesday, May 11—C Day; Wednesday, May 12—Mt Hood Climb Service Day (remote); Thursday, May 13—D Day; Friday, May 14—A Day

STUDENT ELECTIONS: This week, students in grade 9-11 voted for next year's Student Body President; there were 9 candidates running! Next week, grade level elections begin with speeches and candidate statements. 

SPORTS: The spring sports season officially wraps up for most teams next week, though there's a bit of overlap between the end spring sports (golf, lacrosse, tennis, and track & field) and basketball. All teams had great playing seasons and the captains displayed particularly strong leadership in the face of challenges. Click here to see John Holloran photos from the girls lacrosse game against Cleveland. We're looking forward to hosting the Tennis District Match at SPARC on May 17, 18, and 19. 

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES: Ask your child to explore the Student Hub's listing of exciting summer programs in all disciplines like Justice and Equity and Changemakers in Action. 

FAKE AND FATAL: Click here to watch a powerful story from a Beaverton family about the loss of their teenage son. The goal is to build awareness about the dangers of substance use that will help families educate their children to make safe choices. 

TEENS AND ANXIETY: This NY Times article is a must read—Teens Are Struggling, and It's Not Just The Lockdown

Jelly Rec: Book Recommendations from US Librarian Erika Jelinek

Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yoko Ogawa

From the uniquely twisted mind of Japanese author Yoko Ogawa, Revenge is a series of interconnected short stories that are deliciously rotten at their core. Ogawa writes with spare yet evocative prose, and has an almost uncanny ability to find the sinister in the everyday. The stories can be read in any order, but I found them to have a perfectly eerie flow when read from beginning to end. 

We're in This Together: Resources for Parenting Teens During Covid-19

• Podcast: The Daily's 4-part series about students and teachers struggling through the lockdown at a high school in Odessa, TX is powerful and relevant. 
• Supporting Teens' Mental Health During Covid and Beyond via The Greater Good
• My Son is Bullying His Asian Classmate about The Pandemic via Slate
• How to Talk—And Listen—To a Teen with Mental Health Struggles via Mind/Shift