Democracy Prep seniors win Half the Story grant to run phone-free digital wellness day

Seniors Kaden Grimwahenny and Ashwin Supord told Bronxet they designed and ran a phone-free digital wellness day at Democracy Prep Endurance High School after winning a Half the Story grant to fund the program.

The students said the initiative aimed to reduce distractions near finals, build in-person connections, and provide mental-health supports. Activities included phone-free group exercises, snacks, and guest speakers from Balati EMS who ran an EMT/CPR station to introduce students to emergency-medical careers.

Grimwahenny and Supord said the grant paid for materials used at the wellness day and allowed them to involve other seniors; they are training juniors to sustain the program as a legacy for the school. The students also described the program's mental-health focus and said it created space for peer support during stressful academic periods.

Both seniors are graduating (class of 2026); one plans to attend Hunter College and the other SUNY Albany. They encouraged other schools to consider phone-free wellness events and provided the Half the Story website as a resource for grant information.