What if you could write down things that were causing you stress and then actually smash them away? That’s what students at Clara Brownell Middle School are going to do on Friday, February 10th .
Mindy Mele, CBMS Counselor, said the “dinner plate smash” concept has recently been trending on social media so she came up with the idea of having students try it. Instead of dinner plates, the school is using smaller ceramic discs. Students will be encouraged to write down things they want to let go of, like:
- Things you fear/cause you anxiety
- Things that cause you to stress/worry
- Things causing you to feel guilt and/or anger
- Things you have NO control over
- Things that are holding you back
Mele said some examples could be stressors, gossip, unhealthy relationships, COVID-19, fear of failure or even things from the past. “We have a lot of students who have experienced trauma in their past or are dealing with difficult situations at home. We want them to try to let go of some of these and embrace a fresh start,” Mele said.
After students write the things down on the white, ceramic disc, they will place the disc in a Ziploc bag and walk with their Advisory Class behind the high school. Then, students are encouraged to “Think about what you are letting go of. Take a deep breath and smash the plate into the ground. Clean up and begin to heal!” Each grade level (6th , 7th , 8th ) will complete the activity together at the end of the school day.
Mele said she hopes this activity will help students be mindful of things that they need to let go of to try and heal. “There is a lot of excitement about the activity, and I hope it will be an opportunity for some students to re-set and move forward.”