In march of 2020 the lives of highschool students changed everywhere when the virus covid-19 took them out of school, and isolated them for months while the government was trying to navigate a global pandemic. Even though the pandemic did show to have an impact on the mental health of highschool students The CDC has data showing this problem may have started before COVID-19. With there being a 40% increase of students experiencing persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness between 2009 and 2019 Loveland High School students are no exception, especially when it comes to drug use or other high risk behaviors related to these possible mental health struggles.

Based on a survey run and completed by Loveland high students a majority of the students that participated reported practicing unhealthy coping mechanisms or knowing someone who does practice unhealthy coping mechanisms. Most of these students also reported these habits starting before they were even old enough to drive, which also just happens to be when most of these kids experienced the isolation of COVID-19, the major life interruption it caused and the lack of connectedness that it built. So when these students came back to school after quarantine they began to relate on their unhealthy coping mechanisms. Sending some into cycles of influencing each other to continue these unhealthy coping mechanisms sometimes just because it adds a sense of connectedness back into school. The only problem with this is that these coping mechanisms can be distracting and dangerous, having negative effects on physical and mental health that the students who participated in our survey can for the most part agree on.

Every employee at Loveland high could probably agree that the underage drug use at our school is a problem. It’s no secret, with the principal making announcements over the intercom in relation to kids smoking in the bathrooms and even some talk about taking away our bathroom privileges all together. As well as plenty of the boys at Loveland high participating in risky behaviors like fighting whether it's from a genuine conflict or for fun like the fight club that was started by the students and stopped by the school admin last year . The only problem with this is it won’t stop the students' drug use, the use of other risky behaviors as coping mechanisms, or give us healthier alternatives to manage the mental health struggles and stress we are all going through.

Arguably one of the most important questions in relation to this topic is what can be done to help these students struggling with their mental health. One way that has proven to help students is school connectedness, and encouraging students to build relationships with safe adults and peers, especially if there is a complicated home life to take into account. Making sure a child has safe people to go to can help influence major improvements on a students mental health and help them avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms that ultimately do have an affect on their academic proficiency as well.