Norwich Tech Health Tech Students Win Awards at Annual BrainDance
May 28, 2015
The senior Health Technology students at Norwich Technical High School participated in the 12th Annual BrainDance Awards sponsored by the Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital (IOL) in Hartford, CT. The goal of the Brain Dance Awards is to stamp out the stigma associated with mental illness and develop a more tolerant and realistic perspective towards people with psychiatric problems.
This year, there were approximately 250 submissions from high schools around the state. Four students from the Health Technology program received awards. Seventeen of the health technology seniors traveled to the IOL on Thursday, April 23, 2015 where the winners received their award and presented their projects. After the presentations the group toured the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center and the Myths, Minds and Medicine Museum.
Marissa Fuller placed 1st in the Academic category for her research project on “Depression”. She submitted a research paper, research poster and a drawing to depict what a person who has depression can feel like. Marissa feels that “It is just as important to think about the self-stigma that individuals create when they hear stigma about depression from others.”
Kerrie Bellerose and Elayne Peltier were awarded 3rd place in the Academic category for their project on “Anxiety Stigma”. They completed a research paper, research paper, and a video that portrayed individuals who live with anxiety. Kerrie stated; “I was amazed that I was able to present our project in front of a large audience and not have anything bad happen to me!” Elayne related that “It helped me understand what people experience when they have anxiety and I am now interested in pursuing a career in the psychology field.”
Stephanie Sager entered a white canvas with words associated with depression outlining the word “Depression”. In addition she submitted a research paper and research poster. She placed 3rd in the Art category. Stephanie expressed, “With depression being so prevalent in our society, I am thankful that I had the opportunity to learn more about it and spread the message to stop the stigma.”
