Last March, Abby Siess and Caroline Rahal were nearing the end of their freshman year at Westminster Christian Academy when their calendars changed dramatically. “At first, we were excited—we got another week of spring break,” recalls Siess, “but then things started getting canceled.”
Siess’ club volleyball season was scrapped. Practices were also canceled for Rahal’s cheer squad. The school’s basketball team had advanced to the state finals but couldn’t play, and baseball season was canceled entirely. “We couldn’t see our friends,” says Rahal. “We didn’t get to play our sports and represent our school.”
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The pandemic not only wiped students’ calendars clean but, for many students, also blocked important creative, social, and emotional outlets. Extracurricular activities—such as sports, music, art, and academic groups—foster lifelong skills and offer significant benefits in terms of physical and emotional health. In fact, social isolation and a loss of routine can put teens at risk for depression and anxiety, according to a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Andrew Butler, chair and associate professor of education at Washington University, suggests that parents and educators remain patient while interacting with students: “Their interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers are so important.” Butler adds that the extra downtime has at least one silver lining: more time to rest, with most kids spread too thin before the pandemic.
And although such outlets can help relieve stress, many extracurricular activities have been dramatically modified. “We had six out of 12 schools have a cancellation in basketball,” says Teron Sharp, athletics director for Saint Louis Public Schools. “We were prepared to start football, but by the time [the city] made a decision, we only had three weeks left of the regular season.” SLPS plans to reschedule fall sports, which will overlap with winter and spring activities. To meet health requirements, the district will continue with mandatory COVID-19 testing for athletes every two weeks.
Jackie Stevens, an English teacher and coach for the field hockey and lacrosse teams at Lindbergh High School, has nurtured camaraderie among student athletes through virtual hangouts and home workouts. Still, in some cases, the loss of activities has added complications to the college admissions process, particularly for those vying for athletic scholarships. Stevens notes that some students have sought other opportunities to get recruited; one athlete, for instance, played basketball on a different school’s team to keep an invitation to play at Auburn.
Whatever the approach, Stevens underscores the need to help students through an unprecedented time. “Educators are seeing the importance of social-emotional learning more than ever,” she says. “We’re doing [emotional] temperature checks. We’re being mindful of the skills they absolutely need and how to develop them in a school year that looks different than normal. We know this is hard for kids, and we’re doing the best we can to help them navigate it.”
