The Buddhist Club, founded by junior Vivian Suhanosky, involves meditation and discussion. Suhanosky founded the club as a way of dealing with stress.
Buddhist club helps students deal with stress
It starts with snacks, continues with a movie about Buddhism, transitions into a discussion about how everyone’s week was and finishes with a meditation. All of this in room 235 every other X block at Buddhist Club.
Founded last year around midterms, the main goal of the Buddhist Club actually isn’t to convert people but to help manage the stress of being a student and of everyday life.
Junior Vivian Suhanosky, founder of the club, wanted to start the club after midterms a year ago.
“We decided to form a club last year because it was a time of a lot of stress for kids around the school with midterms,” Suhanosky said.
Suhanosky uses skills she has learned to reduce anxiety.
“I’m able to use certain methods and calm myself,” Suhanosky said.
The other club leader, junior Jordan Dias, isn’t officially a Buddhist like Suhanosky is.
“Technically I’m still Catholic,” Dias said. “I don’t pray, but I go to church on Christmas Eve and Easter.”
World language teacher and club advisor Fukiko Shapiro thinks the club is a good addition to the high school.
“The philosophy of Buddhism is really based on the pace,” Shapiro said. “Right now there’s a lot of things happening in the world, so I thought that it was, especially for the younger people, very important to the future.”