Mental illness among teenagers and young adults has become an increasingly prevalent problem in recent years, and 1 in 5 American youth ages 13-18 are currently living with a mental health condition. Since these types of illnesses can feel incredibly isolating, it’s especially important for those affected to feel like they are not alone. Books are a great way to do this, so here are some examples of young adult novels that deal with issues…
If you spend any amount of time on social media, you have probably seen posts about bullet journaling, which has become something of a viral stationary trend. Stripping away all the hype, however, will leave behind an excellent method of planning and organizing for students. Today, I’ll tell you all the tips and tricks for getting organized for school using this approach. First off, what is bullet journaling? A bullet journal is essentially a notebook…
The UMass Lowell String Project is one of the best music education programs in the local area, so if you have a child who loves music, you should check it out! Read on for some FAQ’s that will help you learn more about this wonderful initiative. What is String Project? The String Project mainly teaches students how to play string instruments, but they learn so much more along the way. Students discover how music can…
If you love to read, chances are you will love using Goodreads, an innovative, interactive, and enchanting website for book lovers. One of the primary uses of Goodreads is to keep track of what you’ve read, are reading, and want to read. You will automatically have those three lists on your account to which you can add your books. You can also make lists according to anything you want (genre, character type, a book club,…
I sang with the Treble Chorus of New England (TCNE) for 6 years, and it was easily one of the best musical experiences of my life. You will not find a kinder, friendlier, or more welcoming group of children and young adults than I found when I joined the chorus. In my time at TCNE, not only did I vastly improve my musicianship, singing, and language skills, but I also grew socially surrounded by a…
This is part three of a series of blogs on environmental education. If you love the environment, what can you do while you’re still young? So far in this blog series, we’ve talked about volunteering for environmental causes and environmental scholarship opportunities. In this part, we’ll be talking about joining an environmental club at your school. If you are passionate about the environment, environmental clubs are a great way to spend time with people who…
This is part two of a series of blogs on environmental education. Every student has probably heard at least one of their teachers tell them that it would be up to our generation to solve the problems created by theirs. That sounds daunting. But if you love the environment, what can you do while you’re still young? In the first part of our environmental education blog series, I talked about how volunteering for an environmental…
Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down to speak with a local elementary school teacher. Read this interview with a teacher to explore her thoughts on education, culture, music, and how they work together to make what is, in her opinion, the best job in the world. Please introduce yourself to the readers. My name is Rita McLaughlin and I am an elementary school music and choral teacher. I teach at the Murkland…
This is part one of a series of blogs on environmental education. If you are passionate about the environment, it’s never too early to get involved. Environmental education was something that interested me from a young age. Learning in school about nature, climate change, and the other ways humans have changed the environment was something I knew I wanted to be involved in when I grew up. But while I was still in middle and…
While many high school seniors stress out about college applications, visits, and the like, there is another group of soon to be graduates looking into an alternate possibility. Gap years are traditionally a European custom and are a common choice for students are graduating from secondary school(i.e high school). The idea behind a gap year is to take a gap in between schooling, hence the name. In the last 10 years, gap years have increased…
