Hits and Misses
Hit: Hoping to improve academic success and reduce chronic absences, a high school in Mansfield, Ohio, is piloting a new curriculum to teach teens how to get a good night’s sleep. “It might sound odd to say that kids in high school have to learn the skills to sleep,” Mansfield health teacher Tony Davis told the Associated Press. “But you’d be shocked how many just don’t know how to sleep.” The class, “Sleep to Be a Better You,” appears to be having an impact, as the absence rate has dropped from 44% in 2021 to 32% – still high, but a start. Studies have shown that teens are overworked, overstressed and more sleep-deprived than ever, and that could be linked to mental health and behavioral issues. Adolescents need eight to 10 hours of sleep, but nearly 80% get less, with most averaging six hours, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Teens in the class were asked to log their sleep habits, and 50% revealed falling asleep while holding cellphones. By making some changes to nighttime bedtime routines – including putting down devices – students are reporting feeling better and more alert during the school day.
Hit: Families in need in the mid-Mon Valley will have another resource for assistance, thanks to the efforts of Jessica Anderson, who is launching a new organization in honor of her late husband, Raven Anderson. Raven’s Hands will hold a kickoff event tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Resonate, a yoga studio at 1295 Grand Boulevard in Monessen. “Our goal is not to reinvent the wheel or duplicate existing services,” Anderson says. “Instead, we are committed to connecting individuals and families to the valuable resources available locally. We are also eager to collaborate with other agencies to ensure that we can effectively refer families to the assistance they need.” Anderson, a longtime employee of the Family Center in Monessen, wanted to pay tribute to her husband, who died in 2021. “I wanted to carry on the work that he did while he was alive. He helped a lot of people, and he wouldn’t take a dime.” Anderson said there is an ongoing need for car seats, strollers, bassinets, nursing pillows, and other essentials for babies, toddlers, and youth. Information can be found on Raven’s Hands’ Facebook page or by phone at 724-216-7855.
Hit: Barb Provenzano received well-deserved recognition this week for volunteerism, having logged an amazing 55 years serving UPMC Washington Hospital. If you missed Karen Mansfield’s story in Thursday’s edition, Provenzano also happens to be 92 years old, and has no plans of retiring from her post at the hospital gift shop, where most of her 19,453 volunteer hours have been earned. “For me, volunteering is rewarding,” the Houston woman said. “I wanted to do something for myself and for my community, and I decided the hospital was the place for me to go.” When she’s not volunteering, the Houston woman is checking off items on her bucket list, like skydiving when she turned 91. She offered these words of wisdom: “No matter what you do, be active. Don’t sit around watching TV all day. Get up, even if it’s just to go for a walk. Don’t sit at home. Volunteer if you can. It’s worthwhile.”