- Principal Janice Chen hosted another Principal’s Coffee webinar on March 31. This time, she features guest Dr. Cheri Mah, a sleep research scientist.
- The event is sponsored by Lynbrook Excellence in Education.
- During the webinar, a student panel Dr. Mah questions; healthy sleep habits and their impact on learning were discussed.
On March 31, Principal Janice Chen hosted a Principal’s Coffee webinar starring Cheri D. Mah, M.D., M.S. Principal’s Coffee is hosted by Chen and invites community members to learn about schoolwide updates and ask questions. Mah, a sleep physician and performance specialist, discussed the importance of sleep in balancing academics and extracurricular activities for students. The webinar was sponsored by Lynbrook Excellence in Education.
“At LEXE, we believe ‘excellence’ takes many forms,” LEXE president Jayant Kolhe said. “By sponsoring everything from CPR training to college workshops, we are interested in bringing diverse speakers and activities to campus that empower every Lynbrook student to succeed.”
Mah specializes in optimizing performance through sleep for professional athletes, and has worked with sports teams like the Golden State Warriors and the Seahawks. According to the webinar, the same routines can be effective for teens as well.
“Sleep is such an important topic for both adults and students,” Executive Assistant Calvin Wong said. “Dr. Mah has worked with professional athletes, which gives her more credibility to our students because they are seeing real-life data of how sleep applies to performance.”
Mah gave a presentation on sleep in 2023, but it was limited to sophomores and juniors. This year, the administration wanted to expand the event to encompass grade levels, creating the webinar in addition to a talk for sophomores on March 4.
In planning the March 31 webinar, Chen and Wong reached out to Mah, who worked with them to craft the presentation and a pre-survey to tailor the talk toward students’ concerns. Additionally, a student panel from ASB Recognition prepared grade-specific questions that Vikings submitted before the meeting. The questions primarily focused on how to improve sleep quality and the impact of sleep on learning and memory.
“Try to shift your mindset,” Mah said. “Sleep is not the end of today — it is the beginning of tomorrow. How you invest in your sleep tonight will impact every aspect of your next day, from how you feel when you wake up, interact with others, your ability to learn and overall function in your day.”
The event ultimately drew an attendance of around 35 people. The administration hopes to make this a recurring event where each grade hears the presentation at least once during high school.
“Learning about how much Andre Iguodala from the Golden State Warriors was able to improve his performance by simply getting enough sleep helped me realize how big of a difference a small change can make,” junior and student panelist Srinikash Venkatasalapathi said.
