With being out of school and not being able to see friends, and prom being canceled, COVID-19 has had a major impact on students’ lives. 

The mental health of many students has declined. 

Senior Mason Smith said he is feeling annoyed with the outcomes of COVID-19 and how it has affected his senior year. 

“It’s taken away prom and just being with friends which is no fun.” 

COVID-19 hasn’t largely affected him but he does miss going to school, Smith said. 

Senior Lydia Thiems has also had her senior year affected by the virus. 

“It makes me really sad knowing that I won’t really get to experience a lot of senior year traditions including prom, since I didn’t get to go last year,” Theims said. “But, I know a lot of people in the world are currently going through a lot worse.”

She also expressed that, like others, everything the virus has brought has made her mental health worse. 

“I feel like my mental health has taken a step back from where it had been, because I no longer have all the things that used to make me happy and it’s just really hard to be cooped up at home all the time.”

Junior Sydney Weedman has also been feeling frustrated with all that COVID-19 has brought. 

“The obvious thing is that I am not at school, but instead, doing school online and switch[ing] has been a little bit of a struggle getting used to,” Weedman said. 

While the virus has messed up how school works, Weedman is trying to stay positive. 

“Sure, I get to sleep in till 11 on most days,” Weedman said, “but I’ve been very fortunate to not be under so much stress like other students and other people in general with everything going on.”

Weedman also made the point that other students aren’t necessarily as fortunate as she is to have a home she feels safe in. 

“I know that you are supposed to be social distancing yourself and staying at home, but what about the kids that feel unsafe at their homes,” Weedman said. ”How will “social distancing” affect their mental health after, hopefully, COVID-19 is eliminated?”