Social Connections During COVID-19 Meeting

By Kimi Danaei

Executive Theme Editor

And Raven Ramsey

Theme Editor

On March 12, Costa held the final meeting of the four-part series “Emotional Support During Distance Learning.”

These meetings began on Dec. 11 and were held once a month. Hosted by Olivia Tiffany, a certified life coach for pre-teens, teens and parents, these meetings are about ways parents can support their child during distance learning. The first meeting focused on emotional support and identifying the signs of depression. The following meetings focused on health, nutrition and social media. 

“We have become aware of the higher level of anxiety being experienced by students, so this event was a way to provide social and emotional support during distance learning,” said Ann Marie Whitney, Parent Student Teacher Association (PTA) president. 

The last meeting, “Social Connections During COVID-19,” focused on how to keep students from feeling lonely and how to stay connected with friends and family during this time. Tiffany provided a list of ways to help students, including having family adventures, trying new things and picking a small group of friends. 

“Many students need the social interaction that being in school brings under normal circumstances,” Costa school psychologist Janet Allen said. “Those who look forward to seeing their friends at school have become lethargic and unmotivated for class time.” The meetings are directed toward parents; however, students are welcome to join. These emotional support meetings are meant to help parents reduce the current increase in the number of Costa students who have been struggling with their mental health during online school. “While some students have become used to the time at home for distance learning, many students have been more depressed and sad at home,” Allen said. “Students have become isolated in their bedrooms and are feeling alone, so it’s very hard for them to reach out for help and know what to say, especially this year.” 

The series is organized by the Manhattan Beach Unified School District (MBUSD) Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Committee and sponsored by the PTSA. The groups worked to give parents resources to identify if their child is struggling and ways to aid their teens. “The PTSA believes that adolescence is hard enough, and we would be remiss in not acknowledging that this year of isolation and anxiety was even more challenging for everybody, so this event provides an opportunity for families to connect in shared experiences and get ideas and resources,” Whitney said. 

Despite this being the last meeting, Tiffany is considering returning. With the COVID-19 vaccine going out, schools are starting to re-open, and some students have already been sent back to Costa’s campus. Tiffany thinks making a series about this can be extremely helpful for parents and students alike. 

“We are always looking for ways to connect students and have them feel supported and look for ideas on things that students will appreciate and feel better about the situation,” Whitney said.