Features

Marques Partain, ‘26

Academic pressure is a common experience for students across all levels of education. With increasing expectations from parents, teachers, and society, students often feel the weight of performing well academically. The competition for high grades, scholarships, and future career opportunities adds to this burden. As a result, many students find themselves struggling to balance the expectations of their studies with their personal lives. Academic pressure is the stress and anxiety students feel due to the expectation to achieve academic success. This pressure can come from many things, including family, peers, and the students' own standards.

It can lead to a range of negative outcomes such as burnout, loss of sleep, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression. In some cases, the overwhelming stress can even result in students losing motivation or developing a fear of failure, eventually impacting their academic performance and overall well-being. For Aniya Wolfenberg, a student at Achieve Point, a regular approach to dealing with school stress is by stepping away. "When I am stressed with school, I tend to take a break from it and do something else until I feel like I'm ready to tackle it," she explains.

Wolfenberg feels that students are often brought down by too much homework in addition to classwork, leading to heightened stress. “I think we should only have in-class work or homework, not both,” she states, emphasizing how the current system puts unnecessary pressure on students. She believes that this extreme focus on grades takes away from the learning experience and adds to her anxiety. Mental health challenges like anxiety are common among students like Wolfenberg, who feels the demands are too much to handle at times. She also talks about the lack of support, saying she receives “little to no” help from teachers, parents, or peers when it comes to managing academic pressures. On the other hand, Mamadou Diallo, a student at , who juggles both school and a job, takes a different approach to managing his stress.

Diallo copes by finding support in music and by seeking out help from teachers when his grades become a concern. "Music and talking to teachers about my grades" helps him get through the challenging moments of academic life. He admits that the weight of homework often feels overwhelming, especially when combined with his job. “Sometimes I get too much homework at the same time. I don't have much time to do it after school because of my job,” he explains. Balancing work and school only adds to the pressure he feels to perform academically. However, Diallo be lieves that the help he receives from teachers, parents, and friends makes a difference. Teachers play an important role in helping him understand difficult subjects, while his parents and friends provide additional homework support.

Despite the stress, Diallo believes that school does offer valuable preparation for the future, especially in terms of teaching students how to pursue their career goals. "It teaches you how to get your dream job after school," he adds, noting that the academic system, while stressful, serves its purpose. Akeelah Lordeus, a student at Lely High School, takes a more reflective approach to managing stress. "I handle stress by laying my head down and getting lost in my thoughts," she says. This method of self-reflection allows her to temporarily escape the overwhelming stress of school. Like Wolfenberg and Diallo, Lordeus feels the pressure to focus on grades is counterproductive. "It can add pressure and distract us away from learning," she explains, pointing out that students often feel trapped in a cycle of academic competition and the need to perform well. Lordeus also faces the challenge of isolation; she tends to keep to herself and rarely seeks help from others. "I usually just keep to myself, so I don't really get any support," she admits, which makes it harder for her to navigate the mental health struggles brought on by academic stress.

Despite the stress, Lordeus acknowledges that school offers some preparation for the future, though she believes it could be improved. "Yes, it does a little bit, because it teaches students the important things we'll need," she says, referring to the basic skills that schools do teach. Each of these students experiences academic pressure differently, but they all agree that the intense focus on grades can be overwhelming and counterproductive. Wolfenberg, Diallo, and Lordeus each suggest that while grades matter, the pressure to constantly perform adds unnecessary stress, detracting from the overall learning experience.

Whether it's taking a break, turning to music, or reflecting quietly, these students are finding ways to manage the mental and emotional strain that comes with academic life. Ultimately, their stories highlight a larger issue that many students face: the struggle to balance academic performance with personal well-being. As Wolfenberg suggests, a rework of the current academic system, including a reduction in the amount of homework and a shift in focus away from constant grading, could help alleviate some of the pressures students experience daily.

By making these changes, schools could create a healthier, more balanced environment that better supports both learning and mental health.

Imagine being on a big field feeling relaxed, excited and hyped up to work on yourself. You feel the breeze and the sun hit you at the same time, forgetting about everything that has happened today. This is what being athletic feels like. When being active or playing a sport your mind and overall well being is being helped by playing sports. Playing some kind of sport helps you be healthy mentally, physically and emotionally. It is also helpful by reducing stress, and improving the strength of one’s mind. You also battle with self confidence.

José Fernando Rodriguez, a senior who plays for the men’s soccer team at says, “When I have a challenging game I push myself by focusing on why I love the sport and staying pro fessional in each moment. I also remind myself of all the effort I’ve put in to get to where I am right now, and that motivates me to give it my all.” Also, being athletic and having something to do rather than going home and watching television for hours helps you escape from problems better. You also feel like you have a second home where you could go to distract you from the problems or difficulties you face. Federico Ventura, a senior athlete at says, “When playing soccer, I forget about the things I think about and focus on playing soccer.

So yes, I use it as an escape from problems.” Although being an athlete can be hard by pushing yourself mentally, physically and emotionally, you still have motivation to keep going. Some people even stop being active for a while and start to miss the feel ing of how playing a sport made them feel as a person. Jhaiden Ormsby, a senior who plays for the men’s soccer team at says, “When I take a break from sports, I feel like I miss it and that I need to go back and play the sport.” Being athletic doesn’t only help with your mentality, physical, and emotional state of well being, but it also helps with the longevity of your life. Some say that some sports are linked to people living longer and have scientific proof of that. Rodriguez says, “Yes, being athletic and active can help you live longer.

Regular exercise improves your heart, your health, strengthens your muscles, and boosts your overall well being. It also enhances mood and energy levels leading to a healthier and longer life.”