The ring of the bell is notoriously associated with shuffling papers, furiously stapling essays and hurriedly memorizing the textbook before a test. Yet, walk into Mrs. Crewdson’s English classes and you will come upon complete silence.

Mindfulness, a program started by the Stressbusters committee in MCPS, works to reduce student stress with forms of meditation. Crewdson, an avid supporter of mindfulness, has been doing various meditation activities with her classes for over two years.

Crewdson said that only one student has ever disliked her mindfulness ritual. Other than that, all students, especially seniors, are thankful for the break.

As a member of one of Crewdson’s AP Literature and Composition classes, I’m grateful for the minute of silence we have at the beginning of each class period. Typically this minute is ended by the ringing of chimes—a much more peaceful alternative than the monotone bell signifying the start of class.

I strongly believe that MCPS should implement a policy of Mindfulness for a minute of each school day.

There are 360 minutes in a school day, racking up to a shattering total of 64,800 minutes in a school year. Taking a minute from one period a day would only take up about 1/3 of a percent of the school day and could help prevent muscle disorders and depression—which one in 12 American teens are diagnosed with according to Psych Central.

This system of mindfulness could alternate between periods. For example, it would start with a minute of meditation in period 1 on the first day of school, then proceed the next day in period 2 and so forth. This way, each class could share the responsibility of de-stressing the student body.

In a world with growing application rates for colleges, higher expectations and even higher ambitions, stress is just an accepted side-effect of school. However, research shows that excess stress isn’t only unhealthy, but it also inhibits learning.

According to WebMD, stress costs the American industry more than 300 billion dollars each year from therapists to hospital visits for panic attacks. Stress is also linked to hypertension, heart attacks, strokes, anxiety and depression.

Finally, according to the American Psychology Association, during sudden onset stress, such as cramming for a test the period before, the body tenses up as natural protection against injury and pain. After the stress passes, the muscles relax.

In the long-term, this constant state of tense muscles can lead to cramping, chronic muscle tensions, and conditions similar to musculoskeletal disorders.

This system of mindfulness implemented into the school day could truly help prevent such long-term problems, and could lead to a healthier, happier student body.