I went to the first-ever Cherry Creek Wellfest this past weekend. A day where mental health awareness met fun for families across the district. The day included workshops, arts and crafts, and free food (immediate 5 stars for that), all at no cost to the students. So the question this: is it worth spending your Saturday inside of a high school?
This year’s day opened with Logi Ligi- African Drumming. Walking into this, I expected the opening ceremony to be like an overstimulating pep rally- you know, the opposite of peacefulness. However, I was pleasantly surprised by their calm yet powerful performance, and I believe it was the correct choice to start the day. Not only that, poet and Overland alum JC Futrell also performed a powerful poem about mental health during the ceremony.
After the opening ceremony, I stopped by all the usual things you’d see at a Wellfest, like yoga and an open gym, teaching us to heal our bodies and our minds. A soundbath provided a space of relaxation and reflection using the power of music. However, my excitement was towards the artistic side.
The first workshop I went to was put on by poet JC Futrell about the importance of poetry and journaling to our mental well-being. However, the conversation quickly turned into an open conversation about the struggles we all face, and Futrell did a fantastic job of curating a safe, open space for us to talk openly about our mental health struggles. I really appreciated the openness of the fellow students and adults in the room, and I think this captured the essence of what Wellfest can be perfectly.
For my second workshop of the day, I chose the arts and crafts tables in the cafeteria with seemingly endless supplies and creativity. I enjoyed it for the free-for-all it was. There wasn’t any structure like some other workshops, which let creativity flow freely. From crochet to coloring, there were vast options for any creative mind.
After lunch (which was pizza and a seemingly
endless supply of snacks (five stars)), I looked around at the remaining workshops to take photos. This journey led me over to the resource fair, which offered free books, journals, and fidget toys as well as community outreach opportunities. I also took a look at the cooking class (which did require a permission slip), where students had the hands-on opportunity to cook themselves a healthy meal. I also explored the improv class and the video game truck, which was cramped at best, but provided some nice shade.
The real question is this: Is this worth your weekend? For me, who, like every other teenager, loves to sleep in on the weekends, the 10 a.m. start time was cutting it a little close. I still think the opportunity is worth it, but maybe sometime in the mid-afternoon? But overall, I think this event did an incredible job of highlighting so many different ways to express yourself. From video games to poetry to cooking, Wellfest had it all.
