Wellness Wrap Up At LAHS

Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on March 24, 2016
- 8:39 pm

Before: LAHS Principal Brad Parker, Derek Kober and Assistant Principal Carter Payne prepare to shave their heads to raise money for the cure for childhood cancer. Photo by Sal Zapien/ladailypost.com

After: Assistant Principal Carter Payne, student Derek Kober and LAHS Principal Brad Parker shave their heads for the cure, raising more than $1,000 for childhood cancer. Photo by Sal Zapien/ladailypost.com

By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN

LAPS Prevention Specialist

There’s a saying that it takes a village to raise a child and last week, the village rolled out the red carpet to build wellness for the students and staff at Los Alamos High School.

LAHS teacher Lynn Ovaska and her band of Natural Helpers aligned the planets and coordinated some pretty spectacular activities for Friday and Saturday.

“We wanted to have a bigger event on campus to promote the well-being of LAHS students since the fall,” said Ovaska who served as staff corrdinator. “They worked hard to coordinate with other groups on campus and build a weekend of fun high school activities.”

During lunch Friday, the LAHS Choir held karaoke, while Natasha Barkhudarova’s dance students inspired group dances. Key Club sponsored a free movie with the help of Los Alamos County, duct-taping a staff member for a freshmen class fundraiser, free henna, a pep rally and more.

Ovaska received support from many areas once the ball began to roll. The counselors and staff members offered wellness seminars; the staff appreciation dinner came about after a conversation with LAHS Principal Brad Parker and Superintendent Dr. Kurt Steinhaus with some help from Los Alamos National Bank.

The events benefitted the wellness of all and strived to help others as they battle illness. LAHS freshmen Derek Kober raised money by shaving his head for childhood cancer with St. Baldrick’s.

“I started with a goal of $250 and at first, the contribution was low,” Kober said. “But with the help of friends, family and LAHS, I was able to get over $1,000. I was surprised how successful my head shaving event became.”

Kober was thankful to friends who encouraged him to get to this goal and all who donated to this cause. He also appreciated Ovaska getting the entire student body involved, too.

“I got the idea from my older sister who is in college and has shaved her hair for childhood cancer awareness for a couple years,” he said. “I am also very thankful to Mr. Parker and Mr. Payne for shaving their heads with me.”

The highlight Friday evening is when staff and students played each other in a full court game of basketball. Officiated by the community’s finest referees and the game called by Morrie Pongratz, hilarity ensued as the staff may have beaten the students, who were above and beyond a good natured group.

Saturday, LANB, Key Club, JJAB, Los Alamos County, Robert Romero from Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, Kristine Coblentz and more came together to offer hours of fun, build relationships and celebrate the end of another semester on some pretty spectacular levels.

The counseling department united for a variety of sessions. Michelle Harrison offered games, Cindy Black taught resiliency and Cristin Haake explored wellness through art, incorporating collage, painting and crafting.

“Students had the opportunity to explore what makes them unique and special and share that with others through their created art,” Haake said. “By creating art, blood pressure is lowered, students may feel more relaxation in their lives, they may feel stronger connections with family members, they may feel great joy while in the creative process, and they may feel more control over stress and conflict in their lives.”