Letter: Impact of COVID-19 school closures still felt

Hello,

My name is Corissa Phannenstill, and I am a senior at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater working towards a degree in social work. I have lived in the small town of Wonder Lake my entire life. I graduated from McHenry East High School in 2021. During my time there, I noticed one aspect that affected the student population. The number of students who felt the mental toll that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic were beyond imaginable.

Schools all over the world had shut its doors for the safety of the students and staff. While the physical safety was being taken into consideration, the mental well-being of the students was looked down on. Having classes online affected the mental health of many students in different ways. Students had a lack of motivation, sense of purpose, and accomplishment to do work while quarantined.

According to the CDC, 37.1% of high school students experienced poor mental health during the pandemic. Having the high school experience taken away from MCHS students impacts their lives still to this day. While this may seem very far in the past, there are now former students who look back at their college experience and ask themselves the question, “What would life look like now if there was more emotional support during this time?” While the school did the best that they could to physically keep the students safe, the mental well-being of students diminished every day they were in quarantine.

Corissa Phannenstill

Wonder Lake