The annual philanthropy assembly was this past Thursday in the large gym. DGS raised $14,000 for Erika’s Lighthouse, which is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness for adolescent depression. The focus of the assembly was to promote good mental health and finding coping mechanisms for a rainy day.

There were performances by the Steppers, CIA, Orchesis, an original song by Kyra Cain and “Self-Care Baskets” were awarded to the winners of the Self-Care bingo, which included pizza and music gift cards. Although she enjoyed the performances, senior Alexis Gibson believes they were not appropriate for the seriousness of the cause.

“I enjoyed the singing and the dancing, but I didn’t really think it connected to the purpose that we were actually supposed to be there for … They kind of grazed over what [depression] is; it was a lot of ‘here are superficial things that can help you if you feel sad,’ but it’s really different when you have clinical depression which is a lot more than ‘oh listen to music and make yourself feel better,’” Gibson said.

Kevin Tate, speech state champion in Original Comedy, performed his winning piece as one of the first acts of the assembly. This did not sit too well with junior Christopher Ragasa who thought a motivational speaker would have been more beneficial and relevant.

“[The performances] were just regular performances for a regular assembly; [a motivational speaker] would have been more fitting than a comedy routine,” Ragasa said.

On the other hand, Social Studies teacher Laura Rodey found the assembly appropriate given how difficult it can be for some students to talk about mental health. She believes a motivational speaker who would have talked about a personal experience would have brought up upsetting thoughts for students.

“I think it’s super, super important, [but] it’s a tricky one to try and do with philanthropy. It’s really difficult to promote this stuff without it being upsetting for people or uncomfortable … [For] a lot of the assemblies, they’ll have people share their own experiences, but it’s difficult with mental health stuff in an assembly format to hear people share their own experiences,” Rodey said.

A series of activities called the “Shine Bright Campaign” promoted kindness and took place on various days leading up to the assembly in order to inform students of healthy ways to cope with depression. Some of the activities included therapy dogs, yoga and a drum circle. Gibson attended some of these events and enjoyed them; however, she did not believe they were a correct representation of what mental health is.

“In some ways I thought that the events were really entertaining, but I don’t know if they actually pertain to mental health. I think they tried … but it was a little bit of a stretch … I think [there should have been] a lot more promotion of talking to your family [and] talking about what is the next step when you think you have depression,” Gibson said.

Rodey enjoyed the activities and the assembly, and she believes it was the expected outcome due to the topic itself.

“In some ways I think it did a good job on really focusing on positive changes we can make and positive things we can do in our lives. Did we really get to the heart of depression and how it affects people? No, we didn’t, but I think that’s OK … A lot of people don’t care about the cause because there’s no emotional investment,” Rodey said.