De Soto High School offers a wide variety of clubs and activities for students to be involved within the community. Senior Sydney Ames is one of many students who are passionate about the various clubs she participates in.

Ames is involved in a multitude of different activities at DHS, including Mindful Mornings, a club that is designed to help students cope with stress and anxiety.

“Improving yourself mentally really is the focus of mindful mornings,” Ames said. 

Another leader of the club, senior Camryn Robbinson explains that Ames put forth a huge part of the organization that allows these meetings to happen.

“For the first meeting she made all the snacks and made sure we had teacher sponsors that showed up before [the start] to make sure the doors would be unlocked for us,” Robbinson said.

Not only does Ames organize some of the logistics of the meetings, but she also leads the members  in yoga and other relaxing routines. 

“She plays an active role in the meditation part of it [Mindful Mornings] because I don’t think any other leaders are comfortable doing it ourselves so she just does it for the group,” Robbinson said.

As a leader of the group, Ames feels that Mindful Mornings can benefit students in many different ways. 

“It [Mindful Mornings] could be a safe place for someone that is dealing with these emotions and wants to learn how to deal with these things in a positive way,” Ames said.

The group tends to these emotions by practicing guided meditation and journaling. The club provides yoga mats, paper and a small breakfast to all that attend. 

“We are trying to grow what we are doing and if we could reach students in any way, that is amazing,” Ames said.

Ames explains that stepping outside of one’s comfort zone can give a person many opportunities to meet new people.

“It [Mindful Mornings] provides a community of people who care about these things, that care about mindfulness and addressing anxious feelings,” Ames said.

Mindful Mornings is an organization  that can be beneficial to the mental health of any DHS student. Ames suggests that everyone should give it a chance.

“We really encourage joining even if you are not sure you want to become a member who comes often,” Ames said. 

Ames has been noticed to go out of her way to make others feel welcome.

“She is really engaged with other people that are also involved with it [Mindful Mornings] and the students who come to it [Mindful Mornings]. She is very supportive of everyone,” Robbinson said.

Mindful Mornings meets in the Black Box on Wednesday mornings before school at 7:10 a.m.. If it is of interest, Ames and the other student leaders would love to see new faces.