With the looming figures of quarantine and the restrictions set in place from Covid-19 advocating student and staff safety, the Lambert wellness program was created in an attempt to help students and staff alike cope with transpired events and set a support system in place for the school. I spoke with the head of that program, Layton Walker, to find out what his opinions were on how the program is going to grow as well as his thoughts on changes in student mental health due to these new restrictions. 

One question I had when speaking to Mr. Walker was whether or not other schools have been implementing their own wellness programs? He explained to me that the program is county-based and quite a few schools in Forsyth have implemented their own programs for extremely similar reasons: support and coping. I went on to ask his thoughts about the wellness program’s continuation after the pandemic ends.

“I hope so because regardless of COVID people need to be well, they need to take care of themselves,” Mr. Walker said this in a way that makes me hopeful for the future of the program and excited for what it will be able to do for the school.

He spoke about how happy he has been with the response that the student and staff have had thus far for the program. The staff bingo event’s goal was to help teachers and faculty alike start to enjoy the school year more, he went on to show me the stack of papers he had from the event, it was massive. If I had to guess there were probably around 80 different staff members who participated, this shows how wonderful a change of pace has been for our teachers and staff.

Another question that I had for Mr. Walker concerned some effects that regulations from COVID could have on student mental health. His response reiterated a feeling and concept that I believe most people had become all too familiar with during the quarantine.

“We’re human beings so we’re built to be relational, built to be sitting near each other, having conversations, eye contact. So one of the things I have heard the most is just feeling isolated,” explained Mr. Walker.

After he told me this he went on to explain that he thinks adverse effects on the mental health of students are entirely situational, in situations where family members pass away the effects of quarantine are more than likely going to have a visual effect. Although, on the other side of the coin where the quarantine merely became a long summer break, students will more than likely be the same as before. 

Mr. Walker’s ideas and hopes for the wellness program at Lambert are inspiring, and what he said he wanted the program to be for Lambert makes me extremely excited about everything else he plans to do!

“I think my vision of it as a whole would be, I had a professor that said that counselors are the heart of the school,” he went on to say, “I would see for the wellness program working closely with the counseling department to keep a pulse in the school.”