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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Dawn Norris, the school counselor at Vestavia Hills Elementary West, speaks with a group of fifth grade students about what they are looking forward to over winter break.
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Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills City Schools.
The counseling staff at Vestavia Hills High School — from left, Oliver Aaron, Kylie Reagan, Barbara Gajewski, Daria Howard, Anna Daneri and Brandon Boggs — stands in the atrium of the school after receiving the Alabama School Counseling Program of Distinction Award from the Alabama State Department of Education in October 2020.
While school and growing up brings enough anxiety and stress for many students, Vestavia Hills City Schools leaders said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has certainly made addressing mental health even tougher.
“In the world today, anxiety is heightened for everyone,” said Alicia Hunsberger, principal of Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights. “Leading a school through a pandemic has brought out fear. It’s been a major emphasis for all of us.”
Hunsberger said students thrive on routine, something that has, for both students and adults alike, been disrupted due to the pandemic.
Students, especially younger ones, may get worried when their friend or teacher is out sick, worrying what’s going to happen to them, and if they themselves will get sick as a result.
“It’s an increased sense of worry,” Hunsberger said. “Teachers are reassuring kids that we will be OK.”
Anna Gaston, the school district’s student support counselor, said COVID-19 has made it tougher to keep the connections that are made at school going, and students have been disappointed about the way so much of their year went.
In addition to the stress and anxiety brought on by COVID-19, depression has also been on the rise, Gaston said.
“We worry about our faculty and staff as well,” Gaston said. “They have families and concerns.”
LENDING A HELPING HAND
Every staff member plays a vital role in addressing mental health for both students and adults, not just in the days of COVID-19, but before and long after this pandemic is over, because “normal” stress and anxiety will still be here, Hunsberger said.
While students thrive on routine, Hunsberger said they also thrive on knowing there are people on whom they can count. And while routines have been disrupted, the care and concern teachers and other staff members feel for their students have not, Hunsberger said.
“We have staff members who care about every child,” Hunsberger said.
That care and concern goes a long way in addressing mental health concerns, whether it’s COVID-19 related or not, Hunsberger said.
For students who struggle with mental health, there are numerous ways teachers and school leaders try to help.
Gaston said while it’s easy to think that students in high-performing schools such as Vestavia Hills schools don’t struggle with mental health, sometimes having the pressure of the expectation of academic success can actually make being emotionally and mentally healthy more difficult. It’s important to make sure students and parents understand that it’s OK to need help, she said.
“A lot of what we do … is bringing to the forefront that mental health is something we have to talk about,” Gaston said.
Jennifer Bailey, director of student services for the school system, said each school also participates in the Hope Institute through Samford University, where students learn about having good character and making good decisions, which can go a long way in addressing mental health. The institute also directly teaches students how to talk about their mental health, Bailey said.
At Cahaba Heights, Hunsberger said a “check-in” strategy sometimes helps, where another adult, besides the student’s teacher, will check on that student every day, ask how they’re doing and make sure they have what they need to succeed.
“We have amazing counselors in Vestavia,” Hunsberger said. “I can’t say enough good things about our counselors.”
Counselors will lead small groups for students with anxiety, meet individually with students and follow up with parents to determine the best way to help the child, Hunsberger said.
TECH TROUBLES
Dawn Norris is one of those counselors and is currently in her 14th year helping students at Vestavia Hills Elementary West. She said she’s seen a big rise in the anxiety of students over the years.
A major factor of that stress is the rise in use of technology and social media, Norris said. Kids are more exposed now to the world around them than ever before.
Brandon Boggs, a counselor at the high school, said in today’s world, students have more access to nationwide news, and it’s harder than it once was to be insulated from the world around them and focus on just being kids.
Gaston said while social media has its benefits, it also has its pitfalls.
“It adds an extra layer of stress in that kids are always connected to each other,” Gaston said. “I think they struggle to develop real, meaningful relationships. … I think kids are more connected but feel lonely.”
It’s important for students to realize that social media is not real life, Gaston said.
Hunsberger said while apps such as TikTok may be fun, they aren’t intended for elementary-age children because they are not developmentally ready to deal with some of the content on the platform. And while technology can serve as an educational tool both at home and in the classroom, it isn’t what is needed to “pacify students and use as a babysitter,” Hunsberger said.
Social media, even at the elementary school level, can be dangerous, she said.
“It consumes their thinking,” Hunsberger said.
It’s important for children to not have access to technology before bed, as it can have a negative impact on sleep, Hunsberger said. Having a regular routine with set times for getting up in the morning, going to bed at night, eating meals and more can also go a long way in helping with mental health, she said.
HELPING AT HOME
For parents, Gaston said it’s vital to be supportive and to educate themselves about mental health, and to not assume that their children have nothing to worry about because of their age.
Boggs said parents should be available for their children and let them know they’re still there, especially for teenagers who may not always share what they are going through or what they are feeling with their parents. Parents must take the initiative to be involved in their child’s life and ask about what’s going on, even if their children don’t initially respond, he said.
“You do it enough … and they know their parent cares,” Boggs said. “Parents are critical.”
