Bailey Chan

Religion’s impact on students and their academics

Ramadan began on February 28, and throughout this month, numerous students will be fasting while also working hard on all of their coursework at Townsend Harris. This represents one of the ways in which religion comes in contact with school life throughout the year. There are also extracurricular groups and various celebrations that occur throughout the year, like the Holi event run by the Hindu Student Association happening on March 14. 

It can be difficult to balance religious commitments and academic work. High school students are constantly bombarded with responsibilities, stress, and distractions. Students who experience a greater amount of stress during the transition from middle school to high school have been found to have lower academic performances and motivation regarding school. A major part of growing up and maturing is finding healthy ways to cope with the chaos of life. Many students find that diligent devotion to their faith and religious beliefs have helped them through hard times. 

A study done by researchers from the University of Cambridge during the COVID-19 lockdown found that the risk of significant worsening of mental health was 60% higher for non-religious students compared to religious students. However, even with this data, it’s hard to discern if the religious people who were recorded to have lesser deterioration of mental health were healthier due to faith only or because of the community and social aspect of religion. Whether it be because of faith or community, religion, to some degree, affects students’ overall lives. 

Students and staff from various religions represented in Townsend Harris were interviewed on how their faith affects their life outside of school and how it informs who they are in school.