Front row/left to right: Liore Dygola and Chengrui Wu. Back row/left to right: Jaden Janzen, Rep. Laura Fine, Rep. Robyn Gabel, Bailey Minzenberger and Angelina Schenck.Photo from Mental Health Association of the North Shore

Mental Health America of the North Shore recognized Evanston Township High School students at its 2015 Essay and Poster Contest award ceremony, held April 19 at the Evanston Ecology Center.

Submissions were based on this year’s topic, “How I stay mentally healthy in school.” They were selected by a panel of judges from about 75 entries to the organization’s annual contest. A student from Niles North High School was also honored for her winning poster.

The winning essays and poster focused on how balancing school work and extra-curricular activities leads to stress. One student wrote that “during school, stress is a constant companion.” Another contestant wrote that she often feels like she has “the weight of the world on her shoulders.”

In the face of the pressures they encounter daily, winners wrote about strategies they use to deal with stress, including positive thinking, exercise and yoga, hobbies, writing and spending time with friends.