The most crucial factor all humans share is emotions. As teens, our minds are in the most fragile state of adolescence. To think school is a safe haven for our minds would be a deception. While we are told that the school supports us and our mental health is their main priority, we feel deceived. In and out of school, we are in a psychological state of limbo. However, this is just our opinion, so we asked a few students here at Madison County High School some questions considering the school’s activity in mental health. 

“If a student feels unsafe at school, or they feel too drained to even come, the school will look bad due to so many absences” says Kailee Thornton, a senior at MCHS. While our grades are very important to maintain an acceptable GPA, our main source of all intelligence is neglected. Our mental health is a key factor in our school performance. Whether it be stemmed from family issues, friendship drama, relationship issues, racial inequality at school/in sports, body image issues, etc. we all can become burnt out at some point. With no knowledge on how to support our minds other than the basic signs of depression and anxiety we are taught in health, we neglect our own minds. Kierah Motley, a junior at MCHS, says “[the school] should have assemblies on how to signify your problems” so we can “find a proper way to express it.” Without finding a proper way to express our feelings in a healthy way, our minds will not allow us to function properly. 

“Poor mental health and/or mental illness doesn’t mean something is wrong with you,” says Sarah Owen, a counselor at MCHS. “It’s just what you’re faced with…”   Many are conditioned to believe that just because they have a mental illness, this means they are weird or not normal. When in fact mental illness is so much more than just having an illness but instead, “Mental health is everyone’s social, emotional, and psychological well being.” says Owen. Mental health affects everything about us and can change our everyday life. 

While the school has much to offer, most students tend to feel left betrayed since the school does not go through with helping the student to understand their minds. Although this may seem like harsh criticism, it is very helpful to get feedback on how the students feel about their school.