OAK HILL, WV (WOAY) – Last year proved to be challenging for everyone, but being a high school student faced with isolation from peers, mentors, and normalcy was particularly hard. But, with life slowly making a return to normal, some Oak Hill High School social workers decided to help students cope with the changes.
“Myself, a co-worker here at the high school, and a co-worker down at the middle school talked about how we can give the kids resources when they come from a year full of isolation, and we’re noticing a lot of anxiety, and a ton of different things,” says Tiffany Gray, a social worker at OHHS.
With the help of FMRS, New School For You, the Fayette County Sheriffs Department, and New River Health, the social workers put together a one-day program called OHHS Summer Social. This program offered students a day of helpful resources– from crisis intervention, coping skills, future career help, and more.
“I think it’s a good thing to do, because we’ve been isolated a lot with quarantine, and this just gives the kids something to do,” says one OHHS student.
Along with the helpful resources for the students, there was also room for some fun. The students participated in an obstacle course and a scavenger hunt that allowed them to work on group and communication skills, and to just simply have a good time while doing it.
“I think it’s beneficial because they can go into the community and now they can get a job because they have interviewing skills, and now they can know how to get through a crisis because they have coping skills, it will help their everyday life,” Gray says.
The students were also given a goody bag full of sensory items like Frozen Barn gift cards for taste, stress balls, and a list of helpful therapy resources.
