The following is from Ariel Weinsaft, current senior at Scarsdale High School, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of Maroon, regarding an independent, outside-of-school, science research project. Please note that this project is unaffiliated with SHS, or Maroon, but SHS student participation would be much appreciated!  

My name is Ariel Weinsaft, and I am currently a senior at Scarsdale High School. This past summer, I had the privilege to work with Dr. Holly G. Prigerson, an international expert on grief, stress, and loss based at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Center for Research on End of Life Care. Under her mentorship, I worked to create a survey to help us to learn more about the high school experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people worldwide, taking its toll on individuals not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and socially, as well. High school students, specifically, at a pivotal point in their lives, may have encountered unique challenges related to COVID-19 in one or more areas of their lives.  The following anonymous survey can be completed by current high school students to help us understand and gain insight into the types of losses you may have experienced in living during this unprecedented time. 

It is our hope to gather data from a group of geographically and demographically diverse students and school districts, from both public and private schools, to analyze the differences between the responses from these groups. 

We are hopeful that this will offer students a chance to reflect on their experiences during this time, and encourage further conversation.  

You can find the survey here.

Thank you for your participation!