Home to Mount Tamalpais, Muir Woods, rolling mountains and boastful views of San Francisco, Marin County should be a paradise. It’s seemingly flawless — a generally affluent community with safe streets and remarkable schools. But like all perfect things, there comes a cost. In a place where it seems that all people are successful, academic and social pressure for teenagers in Marin County can quickly become overwhelming.
Marin is a very wealthy community where most have worked extremely hard to afford such a safe and beautiful area. As a result, the focus on financial and career success can start at an incredibly young age, and by high school, many teens begin to prioritize academic success over their well-being.
Junior Bijou Burdick had lived in Minnesota for most of her life before moving to Marin during her sophomore year. The shift in expectations regarding academic success was an immense culture shock to her.
“Everyone around me was getting upset from getting an 85 percent on a test and that’s not something I was used to,” Burdick said.
Burdick also noted how Redwood has a completely different atmosphere than any school she’s ever attended.
“Redwood kids [will] do anything for an extra point to bump [up] their grade…. But at any other school, most people wouldn’t care. The chokehold [grades at] Redwood has on its kids is insane,” Burdick said.
No matter the cost, students at Redwood will do whatever they can for an improved grade or a chance to be accepted into a “better” college. Burdick has some concern for the students who go to these great lengths.
“Everyone is so focused on college. Last year when everyone was choosing classes, people chose classes that would ‘look better’ for college and not necessarily the classes they would enjoy or be interested in. This cycle is so toxic because school becomes [less] enjoyable,” Burdick said.
Junior Lucas Iraheta has experienced increased feelings of pressure especially within sports since coming to Redwood,
“Marin sports, there are super high expectations. In order to play most sports at Redwood, you have to be a part of a separate club team that costs a lot of money. Families in Marin can afford this which makes sports overall more competitive,” Iraheta said.
Iraheta has also observed that parents often play a large role in many of his friends’ academic lives.
“In some cases, the pressure of getting [good] grades is so intense that [my friends’] parents would ground them if they got lower than a 90 [percent] on a test,” Iraheta said.
Similarly, junior Gigi Walravens also noted how Marin’s resources and extreme wealth can foster a demanding atmosphere. She noticed that parents often use their financial means to give their child an academic competitive advantage, investing in private tutors, counselors, extracurriculars and internships. The pressure to keep up and complete these tasks can be overwhelming and feel never ending for students.
“[Many Marin] parents can afford these extra resources to help aid their kids to get into better colleges. It just becomes this giant competition between other students and families,” Walravens said. “The pressure adds up and it begins to feel very overwhelming and everyone’s stuck in it.”
New Wellness Center staff, Caroline Miller and Ari Ziegler began working at Redwood in August. In the past, they worked in school districts in San Francisco and San Rafael and both agreed that there was an ‘overwhelming’ feeling specific to Redwood, regardless of the resources Redwood provides to try and help alleviate these negative emotions.
“In the wellness space, I see the general feeling of being overwhelmed. There’s this feeling that ‘there’s so much to do’ and therefore ‘I can’t do anything because I’m so overwhelmed with it all,’” Ziegler said.
Feeling overwhelmed frequently can lead to mental exhaustion, making it difficult for students to focus or make decisions. It can also result in physical symptoms like fatigue and headaches due to increased stress.
Similar to Walravens and Iraheta, Miller describes how parents in Marin push their kids rigorously.
“This area is pretty well off, so it has a lot of parents trying to push through their agenda trying to do what’s best for their kids,” Miller said.
Ziegler emphasizes Redwood’s commitment to excellence and its distinctive academic identity.
“Redwood feels like high achievement, high intensity. The logo itself is like Stanford, but Redwood” Ziegler said.
The logos of both Redwood High School and Stanford University feature a redwood tree, and a very similar color scheme. In a way, it goes to show how Redwood High School embodies a similar meaning to Stanford’s values, including prestige and high standards.
In wealthy communities like Marin, social expectations also tend to be amplified. Social dynamics may be more challenging due to an emphasis on more expensive activities and luxury materials; the pressure to conform may lead to a fear of social exclusion if one doesn’t meet these standards. Social media leans into the idea of not being your true authentic self, and in wealthier places, it is not uncommon for posts to be even more unrealistic.
For some, social media can be a main factor of anxious thoughts often leading to feelings of inadequacy and comparison with others’ seemingly perfect lives.
“Social media plays a role in stress, one thousand percent. I think that’s the biggest reason for anxiety. I think if social media didn’t exist I wouldn’t have as much anxiety. People perceive you a certain way,” Walravens said.
Walravens is also extremely conscious of what she decides to post.
“In my head, everyone is judgmental. If I don’t feel like I look good, I won’t post it. And that’s so awful,” Gigi said.
Marin County’s affluent influence drives teenagers into living a more competitive lifestyle. It is important for educators and parents to recognize the intensifying issue of Marin’s pressure in sports, academics and on a social level. By taking things slower, adults can support healthy coping strategies for stress and open communication for anyone in crisis. Finally, if you are feeling overwhelmed in any way, Redwood offers wellness counseling, tutoring and a college and career center free of cost.
