Theater teacher Keith Williams always makes sure to prioritize the mental health of his students.

Williams’s high school Musical Theater Dance 3 & 4 class, has spent multiple class periods talking about mental health and how important it is. These discussions are led by Williams, and consist of a safe space for students to get involved and talk about their feelings.

“[The discussions] has given me a better understanding of everyone else’s situation and my own,” said junior Aislyn Morrow. “You never know what is going on with other students. The mental health days have allowed us to just get everything out into the open and release all the stress we are internalizing, which has made me feel lighter,” said Morrow.

Williams has always been a big advocate for mental health and the minds of his students. His students have said that these mental health days have helped them in other aspects of their lives.

“They have helped me academically, I would come to school worried about things that I shouldn’t be worried about in school, which throws me off task, and I don’t wanna do my work,” said sophomore Tae’Coryion Cooper.”I feel unmotivated, which these days I have gained motivation,” said Cooper.

Along with helping students get motivated, Williams’ mental health days also help students see that they are not alone..

“It finally gave me an academic break for just a moment at school, and to listen to other people and what they have going on is so helpful to know that you aren’t the only one struggling,” said sophomore Abby Torres,.

Students have expressed that they wish other teachers would do this type of more mentally relieving activities more often.

“I feel like I can understand what’s going on with me and seeing other perspectives from other teachers to see what they are going through, so I think it would be nice if we had other teachers who would be more understanding and let us have mental health days like Mr.Keith does,” said senior Shamiya Cross.

Mental health is a huge problem among teenagers right now. Over quarantine many teenagers were depressed due to school, the pandemic, and other outside forces going on in their lives.

After these few years, students find that  mental health days help them feel safer and healthier at school.