As schools reopened their classrooms, there was little doubt that it would have an impact on students’ mental health. The transition from online to in-person is a transition that may ease the stress of online learning, however, it comes with its own challenges, including potentially increased worry about the virus.
The CDC reported that the rates of 12-17 year olds visiting emergency psychiatric crisis centers increased by 31% during the pandemic. Students lost the ability to talk face-to-face with adults they trusted within the school system. Some struggled to focus and stay caught up on school work. There was the added stress of living in a pandemic and of some home situations.
Freshman shared that they felt a mix of nervousness and relief, as they were thrown into a new setting, high school, along with new procedures involved and enforced.
“It feels good knowing that we have more precautions, but it’s also a little nerve wracking because it is my first year in high school and it’s all different,” Sevyn Watson ’24 said.
Sophomores have yet to complete a single in-person high school year, as their freshman year was cut short when schools closed in March 2020.
“I think reopening is definitely needed because so many students’ mental health went downhill when April/May 2020 hit, even mine,” Ember Hartle ‘23 said.
Juniors are now closer than ever to being seniors, with only a year standing in between them and graduation.
“I think it’s better than I thought it would be, but there are just a lot of unknown things [about in-person learning that I still don’t understand],” Miranda Bradley ‘22 said.
Ultimately though, the greatest value of moving back to in-person learning is the reestablishment of relationships.
“I think just the value of human connection [is the biggest positive]. It has not made a significant difference in terms of academics, but, in terms of relationships, it has helped immensely. You can tell that people are just more happy,” Shane Britton, one of the IB English teachers, shared.
