A global pandemic, pressure for school success, and a lack of knowledge for what comes next, each are difficult to deal with when students are on their own. As COVID-19 reaches its one-year mark as an official pandemic, students’ mental health still suffers, slowly isolating them from peers and family. Though each student experiences different daily obstacles, no one is alone in the fight for well-being.  

“I was in a much better place before COVID-19 happened, and then my mental health kind of plummeted. I was stuck at home, so I could not really do much to help it,” Trey Corbin, junior, said. 

As the fear of contracting COVID-19 continues, students are forced to separate and avoid activities in which they once participated. Because of their continued isolation, teenagers are experiencing a loss of connection between themselves and others, making it difficult to enjoy life.  

“COVID-19 made [me] sadder because [I] did not get to see a lot of the people [I] normally see all the time. I tried to keep in contact with my friends and spend time with my family,” Hannah Cato, sophomore, said. 

Attending school face-to-face establishes a strict schedule for students to follow, but many have battled to stay motivated. Those at home might struggle to keep up with work and remain focused while in front of the computer for the majority of the day. Along with this, the constant changes between digital and in-person learning have made it difficult for those attending school face-to-face.  

“I was quarantined for four weeks, to be exact, and I did not do any work. Being at home is so un-motivational (…) I was stressed out about family and my classes, and I had low grades and wanted to cry,” Jada Lin, freshman, said. 

While being in a classroom promotes asking for help by making it easy for students to simply raise their hand, at-home learning prevents them from having constant access to their teachers, peers, and tutors. For many of those who have remained in online classes, their grades continue to drop.  

“Personally, COVID-19 has been very isolating (…) [My lowest point was] around late last year when I was doing online school. Since I was always indoors, I was falling behind on my academics,” Jack Sapere, senior, said.  

Though Cherokee County pushed to send its students back to face-to-face learning in hopes of improving students’ well-being, teens are still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.