Spartan TV: COVID-19 Through the Eyes of High School Students

What's it like to be a high school student in New Brunswick during the COVID-19 pandemic? Let St. Stephen High School students tell you on the first episode of Spartan TV on CHCO-TV.

"The education of millions of students worldwide has been disrupted by the spread of COVID-19," says Grade 12 student Eve Pole. "Schools haven't faced a disruption like this in generations. Fortunately, we know have the technology and ample resources to continue on even if our schools close down. Kids can't come to school as usual anymore. We split ouor school in two and send half the kids one day and alternate with the other half the next. 

Spartan TV is a first-hand look into the lives of teenagers during COVID-19 and how it is affecting their education and their development as they grow into young adults.

"I find it a lot harder to get out of bed in the morning the days I don't go into school," confesses Pole. "I tend to do my first two classes from bed. It's harder to concentrate with all the distractions of home too, including pets and my phone. The best thing you can do for yourself is try to give yourself some kind of structure while you're at home."

"I tend to procrastinate a lot, so having more time at home has been a struggle for me," confesses Grade 12 student William McLeod.

Krista McKnight, an English and Psychology Teacher at St. Stephen High School, says she has been concerned about her students' well being and mental health over the course of the pandemic. "I've watched teenagers struggle through schools closing last March to handling that more longterm this year," says McKnight. "Mental health is something we always need to be more aware of, but even more so right now. Students can't socialize the same way at a time in social development when it's really important for them to socialize. I work with students to create some kind of routine, even if it has to be virtually. Teenagers need to give themselves a lot of credit right now. Surviving a global pandemic is very taxing, and we need to constantly and actively work to keep in good mental health."

Even students who've continued to succeed academically while learning remotely are still struggling with the emotional stress of a worldwide pandemic. "I've found everyone okay to manage my time with school work," says Grade 12 student Hillary Russell. "But I do tend to worry a lot about my friends and my family knowing that this virus can be deadly to some people."

The second episode of Spartan TV is currently in production and will provide a first-person perspective on how students respond to finding out there is a positive case of COVID-19 in their school.