In the April 16 Whitehall-Coplay Communities That Care meeting, members discussed the emotional well-being and mental health of students.

Chad Stefanyak, a counselor at Whitehall High School, noted it can be difficult to gauge how the students are doing emotionally when they aren’t in school regularly. He did say a few students reached out saying they were struggling and that the district acted quickly to help.

He said most of the reports he was getting revolved around isolation, lack of motivation and anxiety. All of these are expected side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Angelia Friebolin, Whitehall-Coplay Middle School principal, reported her staff is seeing the struggles manifest in a lack of motivation and students not completing assignments. She said the middle school students have not been vocal about the problems.

Whitehall-Coplay School District Assistant Superintendent Christopher Schiffert said the district is focused on addressing the emotional well-being of the students, but agreed it is hard to see and gauge how the students are faring.

He said there has been a dramatic decline in the See Something, Say Something tip line, so it is hard to identify students who might need help.

William Fonzone, school board member, questioned how the mental health of students has changed since they came back to in-person learning four days a week.

“Every student I see is just happy to be in school,” Friebolin said.

“We’re seeing a significant increase in academic performance when students are in the building,” Stefanyak reported.

He added that not only is the amount of work being completed rising, but grades are going up as well.

It was noted many students might not have had problems with virtual learning at the start, but the novelty of staying home has worn off.

In other business, Denise Continenza, CTC coordinator, and Andy DeAngelo, a consultant and education specialist, reported they want to share information in honor of Alcohol Awareness Month.

DeAngelo said he wants to share with the community that alcoholism is a disease, not a failure of character. He also wants to share resources available in the county to help combat an increase in binge drinking in youths and emergency room admittance of college students.

Continenza shared information on an event presented by the CTC, Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce and Whitehall Area Rotary Club. The candidates’ night, with the 10 candidates running for Whitehall-Coplay School Board, was held virtually April 29 and broadcast from Fellowship Community. Candidates were asked a maximum of six questions to share their values and plans with the community.

It was reported the Snack Pack Pals program is up and running in the district.

“Everybody is getting food again,” said Michelle Khouri, district registrar.

She noted the group is feeding approximately 176 students.

Additionally, Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative is offering a summer program to feed local children. Since the normal summer breakfast camp can’t be held, the group is offering food pickups Mondays and Wednesdays in six locations throughout Whitehall Township and Coplay Borough.

Ashley Dallas, with Valley Youth House, reported the CBITS program is currently underway in the district. This program is a cognitive behavioral intervention for students who experienced trauma. Students attend 10 sessions in small groups and at least one individual session to talk about the trauma until their anxiety lessens.

Dallas noted they are calling the program ZTT - Zephyrs are Tougher Together - in the district. It is intended to emphasize the resiliency you build when you work together.

The program continues until June 2022.

Sue Lettera, Lehigh County director of integrated services, shared the ResilientLV.org website with the CTC members. This website contains resources for parents to help their children, as well as resources for youths and educators.

The next CTC meeting is May 21.