Within the last few months at CHS, many students (and teachers) have stated that the recent times within the walls of this building have been, to say the least, very rough. The Tiger Staff decided that in order to try and bring some more positivity back into the halls of CHS, we would begin asking a “Stop” question.

Stop questioning consists of the same simple question being asked to a variety of people. These questions can be random, however for the most part they are meant to check in on students and give people a space to talk and let out their feelings. 

The question that was chosen for this week was, “Who or what makes you happy on the dark days?”. This Stop question was only asked to CHS juniors, and within the junior class there were many similar answers, however, this question created an amazing display of the way we are all different humans but belong in the community. 

For example, one of the common things people stated was they enjoyed relaxing. Although many do love resting, the way people rest definitely varies depending on the person.

Junior Aiden Winkler stated, “If I am at home, what makes me feel better is just, you know, laying in bed and watching Netflix. Just laying around and getting my mind off all the stress of school and life.”

On the other hand, Junior Alex Rich described his version of relaxing as, “Just sitting down somewhere. Just very nice and simple.”

Although while both boys enjoy relaxing, their versions of it look different. 

Another very common answer was that juniors found happiness on dark days through listening to music. Dietrich Evans stated, “I can drown out everything with music. It’s pretty great. I can play it really loud and then it’s like nothing else exists. It’s pretty cool.” Whenever asked what music he preferred most he said “whatever is loudest.”

Ben Sanders stated, “I listen to music a lot, like it kinda gets me through my day. So if I get a good playlist going on, it’s a lot better.” Sanders’ usual playlist includes hip-hop, indie, and alternative rock.

Another student stated that of their outlet is their arts. Damien Stewart stated, “I like to do arts and crafts because it really relaxes me.”

Tahlesha Garmon had many answers to things that made her happy on her dark days. Garmon stated, “Things that make me happy are like cold weather, coffee, and movies. My favorite movie is probably Safe Haven. The storyline is really good, everyone should watch it”. 

Although many students did answer that the things that made them happy were many inanimate objects, there was still a large number interviewed who answered that people are what helps them get through the day. 

When Allanah Long was asked what makes her happy on her bad days, she stated that “My fashion sense, and thinking that people do care about me, and whenever I help someone I know that they will have my back too.”

Savannah Baker also responded to this question, saying, “My sister, Maddie, makes me happy because she is awesome.”

During hard times, learning to just stop and talk to people is one of the best things you can do to not only make people feel loved and heard, but also just to bring a little extra positivity to both of your days. Alaina Adams stated, “The thing that makes me happy on a day to day basis is seeing my peers. It makes me happy because I like to talk, and when I am at school people talk to me. So getting to talk to people makes me happy. And seeing others happy makes me happy.”