Canton South High School students punch out stress, anxiety

CANTON TWP. − Canton South High School students are using boxing gloves and a punching bag to get through emotional problems or stressful moments.

Standing in a conference room in the high school's school design room, or library, is a punching bag mounted to the floor. When a student is experiencing some form of emotional unease − be it anger, low self-esteem or fear − they can have a 10-minute private session to put on boxing gloves and slug away.

"It is effective, it is very effective," said science teacher Nancy Miller, who brought the activity to Canton South. "When the kids went in there, they came out with a better-to-learn state. Boxing wears you out so quickly. It focuses your brain to get away from whatever is bothering you."

Miller, whose teaching specialty is biomedical sciences, used some of a $1,500 grant she received from Cleveland State University's Action Research Program. The grant was her reward for being named the 2022 State Board Teacher of the Year for District 8.

"When they are in there hitting, their brains can recess," said Miller who had to submit a grant proposal for the funding. "It is kind of taking them from their moment of crisis. It forces their brain to stop focusing on what they are focusing on. I did a lot of research for the boxing."

She named the boxing project Take X.

What did Canton South's principal think of Take X?

"I feel like boxing is a good way to de-stress when having a hard day at school," freshman Tanner Ray said. "I can let off some energy and come back relaxed."

Likewise, junior Makayla Szerokman is seeing benefits to hitting the punching bag.

"Little did I know how well letting out of all the thoughts would be," Szerokman said.

Canton South Principal Jeff Moore had some questions when Miller first pitched the Take X project.

"Before she went to any training and did any research, we talked," Moore said. "She and I had quite a few discussions. My questions were around why do we think it would be a benefit to our kids? How are we going to track it to see if it is beneficial? Do we believe it helps them with their aggression? Very rarely do any of them use 10 minutes because they are tired before that. They rarely last more than 2 or 3 minutes."

Miller suspects the time students spent away from the school building during the height of the coronavirus pandemic was emotionally taxing for some students.

"Some of the kids we didn't see for a year and a half," Miller said. "So the kids missed a year and a half of in-person education. These kids lost their emotional development. They weren't with their peers. Adolescence is when you are developing your own autonomy. I was more worried about my young adults than the content I was teaching. I need to make sure my kids are OK before I focus on my instruction and the content."

While Miller brought the punching bag and gloves to Canton South, the use of the Take X program is open to the entire district.

"I am not the gatekeeper," Miller said. "They don't have to filter through me."

One employee of Canton Local applauds the perceived benefits of Take X.

"Not only will this be helpful for our students in the short term so they can stay at school and have productive days," said school registered nurse Lori Serafini. "But, hopefully, it will teach students the life skill that physical exercise can be an outlet for pent-up frustration."

Miller does not assign or suggest students go to the punching room. And oftentimes, she doesn't know what the particular issue is for the student who wants to punch the bag.

"They self-select," she said. "(They say,) 'Hey Miller, I need to box.'"

Reach Malcolm at malcolm.hall@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton South High School gets punching bag to help stressed students