The Eagle | Issue One | November 2020

THE EAGLE PLYMOUTH NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

41 OBERY• NOVEMBER 2020 • ISSUE 1

AmidCovid-19 ZoneChange

By Christian Hohulin

02

Remote Learning Get an inside scoop to see how students take on remote learning.

With the school committee voting in the summer to enforce a 6 foot distancing protocol in the Plymouth Public schools, Campbell said that, "We can not accommodate students under the six-foot distancing 100%."

Dr. Campbell and the Plymouth Public Schools Department continue to stand strong and enforce the protocols in place as the confirmed cases rise further.

Total Number of Students and Staff Newly Reported with a Positive COVID-19 Status due to Non-School Exposure 15

10

= Students

5

= Teachers

0 9/ 25 10 /2 10 / 10 9 /1 10 6 /2 10 3 /3 0 11 / 11 6 /1 11 3 /2 0

Number of Positive Cases

Plymouth Public Schools continue to monitor cases in the district as Plymouth transitions from red to yellow.

New metrics implemented by Governor Charlie Baker have moved Plymouth from the COVID-19 Red Zone to the Yellow Zone, in spite of the recent surge in cases throughout the school system and the local surrounding community.

The new metrics will place towns in a color-coded category (Grey, Green, Yellow, Or Red) depending on the number of cases and the positivity rate by the town’s population.

Towns with 10k population will be placed in their color solely by the number of cases, towns with 10k50k will be evaluated on the number of cases, and if the positivity rate exceeds 5%. Lastly, if your town has 100k+ population it will be evaluated by the number of cases and positivity rating exceeding 4%.

With this new metric, Governor Baker is urging school districts to revert back to the full in-person school model.

"At this point, there is clear and convincing scientific data that shows children are at significantly less risk of developing serious health issues from exposure to COVID-19. And there is clear and convincing scientific data that shows learning in a classroom, as long as people are playing by the rules, does not lead to higher transmission rates" said Baker at the November 6th Covid Update Press Conference.

However, current DESE guidelines will make this hardly feasible for most districts, including Plymouth.

"Our full return will not be possible until we see a revision to our transportation restrictions set forth by DESE," Superintendent Dr. Chris Campbell said.

For the Week Ending [Fridays @3:00pm]

"It is very important for our community to know that to date, there is no evidence to suggest that transmission is occurring in a classroom or school. In fact, all confirmed cases are a result of transmission outside of school," said Campbell.

03

Acapella Now with having to wear a mask, singers across the VPA programs must adjust to the new norm.

Plymouth North has done everything possible to translate the safety protocols inside the school to the sports and teams playing this fall in the light of the newly found cases in the community and school district.

Similar to in-person learning there is no threshold or metric that will determine when or if athletics will be canceled. Students continue to participate in the new safety protocols and regulations specific to their sport. The MIAA has yet to announce any changes due to these zone changes and metrics.

"I am just so impressed by the dedication of our athletes and coaches. The devotion to athletics here is highlighted this fall by our student-athletes commitment to adhering to COVID protocols to keep each other and the community safe," said Athletic Director Mr. Justin Domingos.

To ensure the safety of the students and athletes as the rules as regulations continue to get re-evaluated, football has been moved to a new season called Fall II starting in February. A new adjustment for students and faculty, dearly missing the thrill of a Friday night football game, but this hasn’t kept the players from taking advantage of the pre-season practices.

"So far, everyone has been showing up and following the COVID rules. Everyone is really optimistic about playing football, even in the new time of year," Nick Durocher, Captain of the football team said.

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to surge through Plymouth, the halls, fields, and courts of Plymouth North High School will continue to adhere to required safety procedures, and keep students and families healthy.

04

Local Businesses

Read more on how local businesses opened during a pandemic!

November 2020

Page 2

Response to Remote Learning

By Amber Pestana Staff and students have experienced both positives and negatives in the remote learning process so far this year.

As COVID-19 continues to take over the world and affect our daily lives, students have been given the option to participate in school from the safety of their home. With this year being anything but normal, this idea comes with both positives and negatives.

With the full remote platform, students have been provided with many resources to aid them in their learning. Chromebooks have been distributed to students that are fully remote and the district is working on obtaining more laptops for students who need them in the hybrid learning model as well.

The two main platforms used for remote learning in the middle school and high school levels are TECCA and Edgenuity.

TECCA has a synchronous component where students can log in at certain times to connect with their teacher, learn new material, and participate in group work and discussion. This platform of learning allows students to have the freedom to get their assignments done on their own time, but also have the resources to engage in an online classroom setting.

Edgenuity is self paced for each student and is provided to students who decide to transfer into remote learning mid year. Students who wish to enroll at this point in the year would be placed in this platform and must obtain the principal’s approval to do so. Also, there are no transfer grades which means that students would have to work at an accelerated pace to keep up with the district academic timeline because essentially they would be starting the year over.

This screenshot if from the Edgenuity website founded in their introductory video to examine the portal from a student's perspective.

Virtual High School

By: Kailey Reardon Online Program Virtual High School allows PNHS students to expand learning opportunities beyond the traditional classroom setting.

Business Law, Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics, or Astronomy may all be interests that spark the students of Plymouth North, yet are not offered within our curriculum. Luckily, Virtual High School offers 183 courses available to Plymouth North students, whether the class is to prepare for a future career, for AP credit, or for fun.

Aside from Plymouth North students going fully remote through the TECCA Virtual Academy, Plymouth North offers many online classes through Virtual High School to students learning in school.

Virtual High School offers many classes not offered at North expanding learning opportunities for students at North. The classes range from AP Human Geography, to American Sign Language, to International Business. Many students choose to take these courses based on specific interests.

Virtual High School classes are completely asynchronous classes where students must complete anywhere from five to fifteen assignments a week.

Most of the assignments are due Tuesday night, but some are due at an earlier time such as Friday night, so students can space out their work.

Assignments can range from discussion posts and responses to classmates, essays, short answer questions, videos, current events, and much more based on the specific class.

Assignments depend on the class the student is in. Students complete discussion posts where they must submit an initial post answering the question, then responding to their classmates in order to make connections not only to the content, but with others in the class.

Due to this issue, guidance counselors have asked students to wait to enroll until a grade period closes so that they can issue grades for the current platform they are enrolled in and eliminate that problem altogether.

The full remote process incorporates teachers from the Plymouth Public schools system for younger grades and teachers from around the country for the older grade levels.

Currently, there are 89 PNHS students and 672 students in the whole Plymouth Public Schools system enrolled in remote learning. With different resources tailored to each grade level, high school students have a lot of freedom on when to get their work done. The teachers are available to their students via email for any question or concerns regarding their assignments.

Although this type of learning is beneficial and crucial to keeping students safe, it brings many struggles to the table.

“With remote, it comes with a lot of challenges that you wouldn’t necessarily see in a building” Dr. Stacey Rogers, the Director of Special Education and Assistant Superintendent said.

Students sometimes have trouble accessing what they need to for the day and there is no teacher at home to help students with these technical difficulties they may face. The amount of challenges minimize as time goes on according to Dr. Rogers.

The teachers have been great. It's been a learning curve for them but they have been amazing about learning new tools and taking on the challenges of teaching remotely,” Dr. Rogers said.

Being isolated from school and not being able to socialize with their friends during the day is also hard for students as many look forward to seeing their peers in and outside of school.

You kind of feel like you don’t see anyone anymore because you aren’t going to school,” said Abigail King, a remote senior.

On the other hand, remote students, like King, have been able to arrange times to see friends after school and on the weekends in a safe manner.

Another hardship of being fully remote is having to schedule time for yourself to get up, get ready, and spend time doing assignments each day.

With that being said, King explained how difficult it can be to motivate herself into getting her school work done. The “do it when you want to” style of remote learning has allowed for students to take as many breaks as they need throughout the week as long as the work is completed on time.

Despite all of the challenges, there are many positives to remote learning such as the ability to do the assignments on the student’s own schedule.

“I like that I can do the homework when I want and still get it done on time,” said Greta Mackintosh, a fully remote sophomore at North.

Work is assigned every day for each class and the expectation is to complete it by the due date. With this being said, it teaches students time management and responsibility because of the fact that there are no teachers present to push students to do their work.

With many uncertainties for this school year, remote learning is a great option for students and families.

Free response and multiple choice questions are common in Virtual High School curriculum at the Advanced Placement level. This allows students to prepare for their Advanced Placement exams that take place in May. Other work in Virtual High School classes such as essays, coding assignments, and creating a business plan are more subject specific.

To get enrolled in a Virtual High School class students must contact their guidance counselor.

Plymouth North Guidance Counselor Andrea Norton helps students decide if Virtual High School is the right for them.

Norton said, “Virtual High School is a mix of different classes at different levels that kids have the opportunity to take usually if we don’t offer that course in the current schedule or if there is a conflict.”

Plymouth North students have the opportunity to take V.H.S. at levels ranging college prep, honors, and Advanced Placement.

Some students may find themselves feeling stuck taking prerequisites or random electives to fulfill their graduation requirements. Just like in school courses, By passing a Virtual High School class, students can earn 2.5 credits for a half-year class and 5.0 credits for a full-year class; just as they would in an in person class.

As a part of their high school experience, many students at Plymouth North take advantage of the opportunity to enroll in a Virtual High School class to continue to expand their knowledge beyond what North has to offer.

The option to take a Virtual High School class has always been an option for students at both Plymouth North and Plymouth South High Schools. This year, between the two high schools about 70 students take classes through Virtual High School.

The maximum number of students

that can have seats in the district for Virtual High School is approximately 70 students. The Plymouth Public Schools district takes care of the fee of each student’s Virtual High School. class. The budget allows for approximately 70 students to enroll in V.H.S. classes each year.

Senior Emily Murphy is currently enrolled in Virtual High School American Sign Language. She chose to take the class as a new challenge because it was not offered in Plymouth North’s regular course selection.

As a part of their high school experience, many students at Plymouth North take advantage of the opportunity to enroll in a Virtual High School class to continue to expand their knowledge beyond what North has to offer.

Murphy said, “I enjoy my American Sign Language classes more than my other classes because it is something different and I got to choose to take it.”

Murphy completes approximately seven assignments a week for this course. Many of her assignments include videos completing her practicing American Sign Language skills.

Plymouth North Senior, Kyle Odoms chose to take on a challenge his senior year by taking Advanced Placement Human Geography. This is one of many Advanced Placement classes not offered at North, that can be accessed through Virtual High School.

There are ups and downs of Virtual High School as there are in any other class taken in school. Odoms said, “I like that I can do my work anywhere I want, anytime I want. I don’t like that the discussion posts have difficult topics.”

As Odoms said, Virtual High School is different from many other Plymouth North classes. The work can be accessed at any time, anywhere. The learning is very independent based.

Both Murphy and Odoms said that time management skills are crucial for success in this course.

Senior Maeve Tierney has taken many rigorous Advanced Placement classes including AP Calculus, AP Language and Composition, AP Computer Science Principles, and many more. Tierney chose to continue her computer science education through taking AP Computer Science A on Virtual High School.

Of the eight Advanced Placement courses she has taken, AP Computer Science A has made an unique impact on Tierney.

Tierney said, “AP Computer Science A is different because it feels like less work, but I also like what I’m doing.”

Tierney completes many coding assignments each week in her computer science class. Her favorite thing about the class is how easy it is for her to stay on top of things because everything is all within the Virtual High School student portal.

Tierney said, “I know what grade I am going to get based on the instruction.”

This year, Plymouth North welcomes Deb Foreaker as the new Online Facilitator for online programs such as V.H.S. Foreaker said, “For students to be successful in Virtual High School classes, they need to be fluent with computers, have good time management skills, and be self driven.”

Foreaker said that she would like to see the Virtual High School program expand in both high schools in coming years.

Students interested in Virtual High School programs can learn more about the offered programs by going to vhslearning.org, talking to their guidance counselor, or contacting Mrs. Foreaker.

If interested, be sure to talk to a counselor or Mrs. Foreaker as soon as possible because there are a limited number of seats available.

November 2020

Page 3

Music and Band Adjusting to New Life at North

By Jamie Keep

As students at Plymouth North headed back into school this fall, we all saw slight changes to our school lives.

From all desks being 6 feet apart to one way hallways, no class changed as much as our Band and Choir classes.

Due to COVID-19 all students are mandated to wear masks, this lacks students being able to sing or play their instruments inside the school.

Plymouth North decided to keep the programs for the 2020-2021 school year, however many adjustments were made for students to be able to still enjoy making music. With no longer being able to sing or play together inside, the school put up a tent outside in the staff parking lot. When practicing students will have to beith some hope for students, it is just not the same as it has been in years.

Instead of practicing in class, music students have transitioned over from performance-based learning to a typical classroom setting. Using software as Noteflight, a software that lets students view, share and create music notation.

Faculty and at the school think that members of the VPA department have adjusted well to the new guidelines at school.

“I think students are adjusting well.

It's obviously different and often very frustrating. A lot of the actual music making we're doing has to happen at home, individually, and it takes some getting used to for everyone,” Mr. Grossman, music teacher at Plymouth North said.

One of the big differences that will happen this year for band members and music groups is no in person concerts. Groups will now perform virtually together, as recently seen at the beginning of the school year, Band and Acapella groups from both North and South performed virtually playing together, with a cover of “ I won’t Give Up On Us” by Jason Mraz at the annual first day of school celebration for faculty.

“I think our ideas for the virtual concerts will make them really cool and fun. Having these concert videos that we put together I think will be something cool to look back on a few years from now to be able to see all the stuff we were still able to do even during these weird times,” said Hannah Goodrich, a Northern Lights member.

Band is also making serious adjustments to its program. With not being in the same classes, the sound just is not the same. Band members can not partake in daily interactions and conversations with their fellow members. With approximately 40 kids in Cohort A and 15 kids in Cohort B for the band students, it is a very large difference in numbers.

“The moral is different because we are not in a band with our friends which was one of the best aspects of it.

Band isn’t band without the interactions between the big group and without it everything in the band seems to fall a little flat,” said Maeve Tierney, a senior band member said.

Another group of music students are still trying to make the most of the school year. Northern Lights, an acapella group at North has learned of SoundTrap, a music recording program that students can all collaborate on, and can hear what all of each singer’s voice singing together sounds like in order to make a cover.

The group always tries to stay connected using facetime platforms like Google Meet and Zoom due to the cohorts and social distancing.

However, with all the ups and downs this year has caused and the future to be unknown, everyone is still looking forward to things going back to normal. Grossman said, “We are all really looking forward to the first moment that we can make music together in the normal way again. I have no idea when that will be, but it will be a really amazing moment for all of us,”

Photo graph by Ms, Goonan of the posters at the skatepark!

Posters and Pandemics

By Tyler Smith

Collaboration between Plymouth North and the Town of Plymouth and the destructive reaction to it.

Plymouth North students created and put up posters at the skatepark and Forge’s Field as part of a new town-wide program to promote mask wearing, before one was vandalized and destroyed by an unknown person.

Students enrolled in North’s Photography and Graphic Design 2 classes were tasked with creating posters to encourage masks in areas that the town had recognized as risk areas. The task was led by Ms. Jennifer Carrozza, Plymouth North art teacher.

“We started about a month ago, but didn’t work on it constantly,” Ms. Carrozza said at the creation of the second poster wall. Students spent a few classes working on the posters before getting approval to go ahead with the final stage.

At the skatepark, a 16-by-4-foot wooden wall was brought in and put in the ground. Students then covered it in an adhesive paste, put on the posters, and then covered the posters in paste a second time. At Forge’s Field, they underwent a similar process, only this time on the side of a building. The projects were completed on October 22 and November 3, respectively.

The creation of the posters marked the beginning of a wider movement across the town to encourage the wearing of masks. The collaboration between the town of Plymouth and the Plymouth Public Schools also launched with a video by the Center for Active Living on the same day the skatepark poster wall was put up.

The movement was created out of efforts by the town to minimize the effects of COVID-19, just a short while after Plymouth was put in the “red zone” by state officials, the classification for the communities with the highest percentage of cases.

The Plymouth Skatepark has had similar signage put up by the town prior to this. The Plymouth Board of

Health put up a large traffic sign even before the posters, warning people to wear their masks to avoid it being shut down.

The posters at the skatepark lasted about a day before being torn down by an unknown person. The wall’s disappearance is currently being investigated by police and being considered as vandalism.

However, the destruction didn’t seem to bother the students too much, reflecting on the project after its initial destruction.

“Being able to take part in the creation of the posters for the town was a rewarding and fun experience.

Even though it was ultimately taken down, street art isn’t meant to be permanent. Street art is more experimental and we have to adapt to the overall consensus and keep trying new things,” said Hannah Caple, a junior who worked on both the skatepark wall and the wall at Forge’s Field.

The destruction of the poster wall was a major part of the many reasons the Plymouth Select Board voted to shut down the skatepark temporarily.

Some members of the government, like Plymouth Selectman Patrick Flaherty, cited the destruction as a primary reason for them. “The sign being destroyed did it for me. They have blatantly disregarded the request to wear masks,” he said in regards to his vote on the shutdown. However, others like Town Manager Melissa Arrighi insisted that their decision was instead based on a variety of events, and not the destruction specifically.

The town will reevaluate their decision on November 10 to see if the skatepark will stay closed, or reopen going forward.

Even with the destruction of the wall at the skatepark, the wall at Forge’s Field remains at this time, along with a myriad of other events and goals the town hopes to accomplish within this new program going forward.

November 2020

Page 4

New Local Businesses Open During Pandemic

By Caroline Richards Despite this, there are some Plymouth Massachusetts businesses who have newly come celebrates new businesses to town. Multiple businesses opening during the COVID-19 around Plymouth have closed pandemic such as Milkshakes down because of the virus, but and Munchies, Keegan these new businesses explain how Kreations, and Roll Street they were able to open up during Tavern. a global pandemic.

Due to the COVID-19, Keegan's Kreations, a new shutdowns across the county bakery located on Court Street in drove the economy into a downtown Plymouth, opened up recession, but Plymouth during the first week of businesses owners managed to government lockdown. They dive into the deep end while planned to have their grand other businesses countrywide opening celebration on March struggled to keep their head 21st, but remained committed to above water. According to opening on that date in a Yelp.com’s Economic Impact substantially limited way.

Report, nearly 100,000 Without pedestrians being able to businesses across the country walk right into the bakery, they have permanently shut down came up with innovative ways to due to the Coronavirus stay open. pandemic.

“We created a curbside pickup service and then we immediately created an online service as well so our customers (are) able to order and pay online,” said Keegan Kreations owner, Keegan Ye. ‘We created a window in our storefront and we also put a table out there so when they come to the store they can call us and we will leave the bag outside of the storefront and they can pick it up without contact.”

Photo of Milkshakes and Staying innovative has been a Munchies taken by

confounding factor for these new small businesses. Milkshakes and Munchies is another small business who kept their plan of opening on October 10th even though we were in the middle of a pandemic.

They serve extravagant milkshakes with cupcakes, twinkies, cakes, and candies, but are also well known for their one of a kind Boars head meat sandwiches.

“We survived through the pandemic because of our unique style,” said Milkshakes and Munchies manager Tricia Tuggle.

“We tried to make it something affordable and something unique and different.”

The unusual combo has been extremely popular in Plymouth.

Julia Murphy, a high school senior, raves over the new milkshake shop in town.

“I love how appealing their milkshakes are. I literally got a whole piece of cake on top of my milkshake! It seems impossible to open up a successful business during a pandemic,

Th e s S t r e e im a g e e th e t Tave s of R o rn o l rest wner's are fr l om a p er so c u ran t w eb so n al ia l m s edi a s ! it e a n d

but I think they’ve done a great job staying safe and creative in order to survive”.

Roll Street Tavern is another addition to the Plymouth community that had business plans for their opening before the pandemic struck, but due to setbacks, their opening was postponed to September 5th.

Jeffery Zetiz, the owner of Roll Street Tavern, designed the restaurant to offer familiar food served in unfamiliar ways.

“Everything on the menu is rolled up in some fashion,” Mr. Zetiz said. “We take familiar dishes and elevate them” Like Keegan Kreations and Milkshakes and Munchies, Roll Street Tavern also faced challenges along the way. They were scheduled to purchase their location in May and open in June, but unfortunately they were pushed back and were having to open in September.

Roll Street Tavern made the best of their situation. They set up online ordering as well as delivery. In order to keep their customers safe, they purchased medical grade air purifiers and set up dividers between tables.

Mr. Zeitz utilized the extra time to their advantage, “we had some pre planning in place and some ability to set up within that would help facilitate people's comfort levels with everything going on now,” Jeffery Zeitz said.

“We were able to start off in a situation being prepared for it where unfortunately a lot of other places may not have been prepared because they were an existing business”.

All three businesses emphasize the importance of keeping their customers safe. All follow strict state guidelines such as social distancing, constant sanitizing, and mandatory mask wearing.

The Plymouth community continues to support their town’s new local businesses as well as other community members during this trying time. “I think what makes us really successful in the pandemic time is we have really good customers who support us and who really love us," said Ye. “People even order for their neighbor. People order for the hospital. People order for their good friend.”

Hannah Caple!

By Karen Phan

THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS TAKE CHARGE

The League of Women Voters is a women-led organization dedicated to keeping citizens both locally and nationwide informed and engaged in America’s democracy.

Students that are interested in finding a way to be involved in the community will find the league to be a learning experience and a new perspective to the town. Annual membership fees are waived for high school and college students who plan on bringing euthsiam and fresh ideas to the table.

The League of Women Voters is one of the many hidden gems in Plymouth that involves people of all ages and genders to discuss and become educated on the existing policies to make better political decisions. With meetings now moved remotely due to COVID-19, they continue to persevere through sharing screens and a strong wifi connection.

With the league being a nonpartisan organization, meaning that it does not support or oppose any candidates but works to encourage voter involvement in town and state elections to participate in public issues.

The league also represents women in power positions. Member, Heidi Mayo, tells more on the significance of having women leadership in politics,

“Women know first-hand the disparities in rights they have compared to the white male patriarchy, as do people of color, and especially women of color. Having lived this truth brings a lot of compassion and empathy to the table for the plights of others who are treated unequally.” Mayo has been a member since the election of the 45th president.

The LWV has been around since the beginning of the 19th amendment that allowed for women the right to register to vote in elections. The purpose of the league when it first came to be was to act as a supportive resource for new voters to learn about candidates. This would eventually expand to become a safe haven for voters to come together to face the adversities based on their gender.

Deanna Nealy active chairman on the Membership Committee said , “One can never underestimate the depths of male grievance and resentment when women finally got the right to vote.”

American democracy has come a long way to challenge societal normalities but it isn’t over yet.

Nealy explains why she chose to join, “I wanted them [her three daughters] to have the same life choices and equal opportunities as my son had.

Therefore, the mission of the League appealed to me, which fostered the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the self confidence to fully participate in the democratic process. Voting was the most reliable way to make changes in policy, which benefits both men and women.”

Despite being run by an older generation, Heidi Mayo explains the need for younger voters, “Promoting media literacy is a biggie. And making young people understand that Democracy - representational government - is not a spectator sport, by its very nature it demands involvement, or we lose it.”

Now with the elections over, there are still many ways for younger voters to stay aware of the current political climate. There are many issues in which the league focuses throughout the year on advocacy including new legislation such as the New Green Deal that works on slowly reversing climate change by reevaluating ways greener energy can be used, public education and gun control.

Particularly the younger side of the league has sure made an impact on the various landmarks of the pandemic.

Nealy describes further on her observations these past few months, “Youth activism has grown in Plymouth, and the League has

partnered with other activist groups, Black Lives Matter, No Place for Hate, and The Rotary Club—participating in peaceful marches and rallies.” With more awareness of social injustices, the youth have united to take charge in their future through their words and actions.

Alex Godfrey, a senior at Plymouth South and student member of LWV has been a part of the organization for a short period of time but has felt her part create a lasting impact. “I felt as though I was making a difference by just volunteering at a few programs during the summer to help advocate for new members. I believe that when a student connects with another student that the relationship is much more relatable and empowering than when your parents tell you to do it, you feel like there’s a reason to educate yourself and to be a part of something.” Alex strives to show students at South High the importance of self educating for the welfare of herself and others.

With there being only three active student members and one college student elected to the Board of Directors there is more to the future of LWV.

November 2020

Page 5

COVID-19 ON

THE PUBLIC'S MENTAL HEALTH

By Madeline Dayie

Wear a mask, stay six feet apart, wash your hands. While everyone is justifiably focusing on physical fears of trading germs and getting sick, a more long-term problem is flying under most people’s radars - the mental aspect. While this affects different groups in different ways, for teenagers the combination of new jobs, environments, freedoms like the ability to drive or vote, and school can push them to a boiling point.

Despite the media attention towards the rising number of positive COVID cases, the rate at which people are struggling with mental health issues arises similarly.

“We are seeing an increase in COVID affecting all age groups, as well as an increase in anxiety and depression,” Jessica Kanke, a patient access representative at Beth Israel Deaconess said.

According to Kanke, people are flooding the psych facilities, and patients have to wait longer for a bed in comparison to general hospitals.

“The societal impacts have been worse on people than the numbers of people who have actually contracted it … COVID is highly affecting mental health, and society is highly affected by social and mental health.” said Kanke.

Symptoms of anxiety have tripled and symptoms of depression have quadrupled since last year. As stated before, teenagers have the stress of COVID on top of the stress of finding themselves and exploring the world, as well as more of a temptation to experiment with substances and riskier situations.

McGovern Medical School looked at results from the National 4-H Council, an organization for youth development and mentoring.

They found that 64% of teenagers thought that the experience of the virus will have a lasting effect on the mental health of their generation.

Fifty five percent have experienced anxiety, and 43% have experienced depression.

Many say they’ve felt an increased sense of loneliness, spending much of their time watching screens. Eighty two percent of teens want America to be more open about the country’s mental health issues, and 79% wished they had a safe environment to talk about their own mental health.

Specifically, at Plymouth North, Guidance Counselor Shari Khale said,“Starting in the spring, we definitely saw an increase in kids struggling with anxiety, with depression, with just a general

feeling of sadness, and inability sometimes to focus and see the goals at the end of why we’re doing things.”

Luckily, there are options for people, young and old. Online, both the CDC and McGovern Medical School’s websites have methods for teenagers to cope. These include staying connected socially and addressing fears. They also have lists of warning signs for parents, in addition to ways they can help their children, like encouraging them to have a routine and talking openly about how they’re feeling.

On a broader scale, the CDC conducted a nationwide survey among 5,470 adults (over 18) in June of this year. Out of 40.9% of responders who said they suffered at least one mental/behavioral health condition, about 30.9% confronted symptoms of anxiety or depression, and 13.3% admitted to starting to use or increasing their usage of a substance to cope with the stress put on by the virus. About 10.7% reported considering taking their own life in the last month, a quarter of which were young adults, aged 18 to 24.

Plymouth North has seen this trend, and has been working to do the best for their students health, physically and mentally. Khale said, “Throughout this whole situation, we’d meet … with admin, we’d meet with people at the district level … the forefront of our conversation is trying to be flexible and empathic about the impact that this is having on everyone’s mental health”.

She added that for seniors, college admissions offices are aware of their struggles and they shouldn’t be too hard on themselves, and recommends that they continue involvement and keep up their grade Overall, it is highly recommended for those handling both academic and mental health issues to find a trusted friend or guardian to talk too. It is even more important now, then ever to begin discovering ways to experience joy, getting fresh air or a new hobby, and going to the local hospital, as staff members are always ready and willing to help as national hotlines that are always open for a call.

National Suicide Hotlines 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) 1-800-273-TALK (8255)