September 5, 2024 marks the official end of the summer season and the beginning of that back to school rush that we all love so much.
Whether you’re returning to a school that you’ve become all too familiar with or starting at a brand new school, everyone of us has that twinge of excitement mixed with nervousness on the first day.
Whether you are a “Welcome to” or “Welcome back” student at Forest Hills High School, the first thing you are bound to encounter is the overcrowdedness.
With the abundance of programs and opportunities that FHHS has to offer, including but not limited to, the Law and Humanities Academy, the Carl Sagan STEM Honors Academy, the Dual Language Academy, the Academy of Public Service and so much more, the overabundance of students is inevitable.
According to data from the New York State Education Department, the FHHS building was made to serve 2,500 students plus staff. However, in the 2022-2023 school year, the New York State Education Department recorded a student enrollment of 3,423 students. Additionally, based on the list of the most overcrowded Title 1–schools that receive federal funding–schools supplied by the United Federation of Teachers, 3,446 students were enrolled in the 2023-2024 school year.
While FHHS’ popularity brings us a large population of 4,000 people in our building daily, the overcrowding can cause overwhelming feelings of anxiety and overstimulation for some.
The last thing we want is to let those feelings get in the way of our academics and involvement in school activities, so here’s how to successfully overcome the overcrowding:
Learn the Building
As you make your way to your classes, take note of your surroundings. Recognize the direction in which the classroom numbers increase or decrease. (Helpful tip: the classroom numbers increase from left to right). As recent graduate of FHHS, Victoria Evans puts it, “It’s about learning the building, which way to go, which staircases are more crowded and are closer to your destination.” There are stairways everywhere in FHHS. Depending on where your classes are, a middle staircase might work better than an end one, even if you might have to become one with the crowd to get to your class.
Don’t Be Afraid of Polite Excusing
It’s inevitable to get stuck behind a group of slow walkers, but the one thing you do not want to do is aggressively push past people, considering that it might only agitate them more. You never know if they’ll be in your class and suddenly they have a grudge against you because you pushed them in the hallway (I’ve seen it happen). Instead, a simple “excuse me” and a little polite shoving can go a long way.
If you find yourself on the other side of that interaction of being shoved, don’t take it personally and definitely do not start a fight over it. As Ms. Weiner, a current guidance counselor at FHHS says, “just take a breather and remind yourself: ‘okay I’m gonna get to class.’”
Shrinking the Crowd
As overwhelming as FHHS may be, so many people in one place guarantees that there is a friend somewhere in the crowd. Ms. Weiner says “It’s good to make that big community become smaller by getting involved in clubs and sports teams and making friends.” With respect to Ms. Weiner’s advice, walking with a group of people, or even just one friend, can distract you from the overwhelming crowd and instead helps to focus your attention on one person.
Dealing with the Anxiety of it All
Even if you still find yourself becoming anxious and overwhelmed by the crowd, there are scientifically-proven methods to direct your focus and attention to relieve those troubled feelings. Tricia Singh, a licensed mental health counselor and New York based college professor that specializes in anxiety, depression, mood disorders and cognitive behavioral therapy spoke to The Beacon about grounding techniques that anyone can use at any time. “These are relaxation technique(s) that help to keep you in the present moment and change your internal narrative to help retrain your mind,” Singh told The Beacon.
These techniques include mindfulness meditation, which Singh shares, “helps to keep you in the present moment by focusing on your body points.” Talking to yourself in a positive way, Singh adds, is a “healthy way to rationalize the anxiety and make sense of it.”
While there are many ways to practice mindfulness, Singh supplied The Beacon with a link to a Youtube video that she frequently recommends to her clients, feel free to use it whenever you’d like: https://youtu.be/HT_ZvD94_kE
As time goes by you’ll become more familiar with the herd that is the FHHS student body, but in the meantime a helpful piece of advice from Victoria Evans: “If you know how to move on a cramped train, you know how to move through a crowded hallway.”
This story was first published on The Beacon on September 25, 2024.
