SHS PTA Hosts Panel on Mental Health and Well Being

Panelists: Jennifer Rosenzweig, Oren Iosepovici, Peter Faustino and Patti MooreThe SHS PTA held their first in-person meeting since the pandemic, and the topic was timely: student wellbeing and mental health. Experts report that the COVID crisis has taken it’s toll on students, increasing depression, anxiety and social isolation and the school assembled their own panel of experts to air the issues and offer strategies and tactics for helping students find their way back to balanced lives.

SHS PTA Vice President of Programming Julie Zhu introduced the event, saying “Tonight we are here specifically to have an open conversation about our high schoolers' social and emotional wellbeing, to take a peek into their school lives through each of our panelist's unique lenses, and to learn and explore together ways that we might support our children at home.”

Addressing the group were Oren Iosepovici - Director of Counseling , Peter Faustino - High School Psychologist, Jennifer Rosenzweig - High School English teacher and Patricia Moore - Youth Outreach Worker SFCS.

They each explained what they are noticing in interactions with the students, how they approach students and deal with those that might need additional help. Rosenzweig, who teaches English to freshmen, sophomore and seniors said, “There is a lot of stress in the building. Sometimes students come in and cry…. The ninth graders have been through the wringer.”

Asked what is driving these fears, she said, “students feel a tremendous amount of pressure to get into college.” However she said, “In English class we can talk about it. We talk through ideas to give students some perspective.” What does she tell her students to do to reduce stress? Reduce their screen time and get more sleep.

Iosepovici explained, “Counselors emphasize balance in our lives – we want the students to find out how much they can take on and maintain a balance in their lives. We tell them to “have free periods so you have time to get help. Take classes that are most appropriate for you.”

Youth Outreach Worker Patti Moore said, “We stress self-care. Many students are learning how to socialize again and to get back into the groove of school.” She also told the group that “in parent support groups I tell the parents what I am seeing in the building. They often note the same things at home.”

Faustino commented, “The difference between pre-Covid and now is that more parents and families are asking for help.” He advised parents to:

-Observe your children – and look at what they are doing all day long

-Listen to their children

-Remind them s of expectations – get exercise, no phone at the table, socialize – get out of the house.

In his view, as long as things are moving in the right general direction, that’s enough.

Parents asked questions about when to call the school if they sensed a problem. Faustino told them to trust their gut reaction to know whether or not to contact the school. Others had questions about screen time, about getting their children out of the house and navigating schoolwork and athletic commitments.

After an hour or so, the parents were shown a portion of a video of teachers talking about the overuse of technology that was spearheaded by the SHS Teacher Wellness Committee. The full video has over thirty teachers, administrators and staff members talking about technology and providing recommendations regarding phone and screen usage for students both in school and at home.

The video discussed the effect of technology use on our ability to concentrate and solve long problems. Some of the stats on phone and social media use and focus and concentration were surprising:

For instance:

The more time you are interrupted in an hour the more time you will interrupt yourself in the next hour.

When you are interrupted you get distracted and fall out your concentration zone. Researchers found that once you are interrupted it takes 23 minutes to get back into a full state of concentration.

Phones and apple watches are addictive.

The video also discussed these mental health trends:

Since 2012, depressive rates among boys have increased 21%

Girls' symptoms have increased by 50%

Twice as many boys 12-14 took their lives in 2015 as compared with 2007

Three times as many girls 12-14 took their lives in 2015 as compared with 2007

Though all mental health issues cannot be ascribed to technology, there certainly is a correlation.

The session raised many interesting questions and also highlighted the depth of resources for students and parents available at the school. Though mental health concerns have risen, the school’s faculty, guidance department, psychologist and youth outreach workers are trained and ready to assist.