For decades, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School has been known for its academic excellence. High test scores, competitive students, and a rigorous curriculum established our district as one of the strongest in the state, incentivizing a move to Acton and Boxborough for some families. Behind that reputation, students and staff were navigating mounting pressures surrounding stress and anxiety and anticipating difficult conversations around mental health that were still emerging. Now, with all the support our counseling department supplies to our students, it’s hard to imagine an AB without our assistant principals or school counselors, but it’s important to recognize the steps this district has taken to better the safety and health of us students and the struggles our community has faced along the way. Mental health was not a major focus in schools during the early 2000s. “It wasn’t talked about in society as much,” Mr. Chicko, an AB school counselor, explained, “not nearly to the same degree as today.” Although conversation surrounding mental health was stagnant, numbers remained high. According to the CDC, around 30% of high school students experienced symptoms of depression in 2011. This number only increased over the decade, reaching around 40% in 2023. However, the lack of conversation did not mean the absence of pressure. AB’s reputation for cultivating a sculpture for academic success and achievements had become deeply ingrained in the community. Strong MCAS scores and nationally recognized math and science programs attracted many students and families to the district. Of course, stress from school is inevitable and mental health is independent from school, but it can be significantly influenced by academic stress. Great responsibility comes with great risks, and students felt—and still feel—intense pressure from the academic environment at AB. Much of this pressure came not only from parents and teachers, but also from their peers. Ambition leads to competition, especially in a school environment where students constantly strive to stand out in the college admissions process. As those pressures became more visible, administrators at AB began taking steps to reduce the unhealthy competitiveness between students. The district removed class rank, GPA histograms, midterms, and finals to reduce stress and competition. Furthermore, counselors shifted the student’s focus away from the college admissions process and toward the students’ overall growth and experiences in high school. The high school experience shouldn’t be worrying about college applications and qualifications in freshman or sophomore year, and a large part of the effort went into ensuring students were able to enjoy high school and grow into themselves. Alumni from the past seven years have shared their experiences in interviews. A trend for main stressors was competition between peers, overwhelming workloads, and a social disconnect. “Students at AB in general did not tend to make an effort to reach out to those across varying class levels (CP, AE, H/AP) or those with extracurriculars different from their own.” – Anonymous ‘22.
“The environment makes it feel very shameful to be in ‘lower level classes’ even though CP is technically the state standard. It’s not low!” – Anonymous ‘23. “Sometimes, I felt like I was witnessing a game where people were trying to one-up each other for better grades, awards, and other forms of recognition.” – Adi Raman ‘23. “I still felt like a kid but watching everyone compete over grades and getting into college was a lot. I felt like I was being rushed to grow up.” – Anonymous ‘19. They also shared how those experiences affected their adult life. “I didn’t believe it at first when teachers and alumni told me this, but the challenge and rigor at AB can make the transition to college writing, math, science, etc., a bit easier. It’s cliche, but stress never leaves you.” – Adi Raman ‘23. “I’ve realized that you are not defined by your grades, your friends, or how much or little you have achieved. Everyone is on a different path, with different opportunities and obstacles, with their own unique priorities, and that being different or standing out is perfectly okay.” Anonymous ‘22. “The stress kind of forced me to become more on top of things and prioritize differently. Especially when I got to college and masters I was more proactive than a lot of team members in group projects.” Anonymous ‘19. “In a kind of backwards manner, AB forced me to realize that only I can truly define success for myself.” – Anonymous ‘23. “Having already dealt with a very competitive and stressful environment throughout high school definitely made the transition easier in college. Do I think that we as a community dealt with the stress in the best or healthiest way? Definitely not.” – Julia Liu ‘23. While many alumni reflected on the academic benefits AB’s rigor provided them later in life, their experiences also highlighted the emotional toll that accompanied such an environment. Without proper support systems in place, unhealthy coping strategies to deal with the stress manifested, resulting in usage of substances like alcohol or drugs. A recent survey of the graduates from the 90s reports that substance abuse was common amongst students, especially in an era where drug use was romanticized in pop culture. Feelings of competition, comparison, and isolation were not limited to the classroom and were increasingly amplified by the rise of online spaces. Social media introduced new challenges for students and educators. Platforms in the early 2000s such as MySpace and Facebook created unfamiliar concerns surrounding online interactions, like cyberbullying and student safety. Social media became a larger focus after a Massachusetts case in 2010 regarding online harassment and bullying, which ended in the death of a teenage student. This tragedy spurred change in state laws that expanded schools’ responsibilities surrounding cyberbullying and student wellbeing. For many schools, the objective now was to support students beyond just the classroom. Programs at AB were developed and implemented. The SOS program, and sophomore mental health lessons in English classes help students identify symptoms of anxiety and depression while also encouraging students to seek help from adults in or outside the building.
The SOS program includes SOS training and depression screening, both of which AB does, compared to other schools who only do one or the other. You might remember doing a screening in 9th grade or 7th grade, where AB conducted a non-mandatory questionnaire for students to fill out about their current mental health. Faculty members were also trained to better recognize warning signs in students who may be experiencing social or emotional struggles. Additional adjustment counselors, academic support coordinators, and faculty training initiatives have been just a few of the comprehensive support the district has started to introduce over the years. AB’s focus on mental health was further shaped by several tragedies that deeply impacted the community. A series of student suicides during the 2010s shook the town, leaving students, staff, and families grieving throughout the district. In response, administrators organized student check-ins and emphasized the importance of prevention, connection, and support to heal the tear the deaths left behind. The SOS program became more of a focus, and there was constant communication with professionals, students, and their families to navigate the loss of their peers. There was a newfound focus on teacher-student connection. Mr. Chicko described one exercise where teachers reviewed lists of students in their grade to determine whether every student had a meaningful connection with an adult in the building. The goal was to ensure students did not feel invisible within such a high-achieving school environment. A strong student-teacher relationship can make a huge difference in how students view school and education in general. “I liked my advisor a lot and I shared with her some of my struggles. Having good teachers overall makes school feel a lot better and learning a lot easier. I remembered Mr. Green was one of the best teachers I’ve had, and as a student with ADHD, I was able to focus very well during his lectures. He made learning interactive, and he felt like someone I could trust.” – Anonymous ‘19. Additionally, through programs like STAR, students who had prolonged absences from school due to mental or physical health issues were given the necessary support and check-ins to ease them back into the school environment. Tutoring and academic coordinators worked with the student and teacher to create a plan that supported the student academically and mentally. Ms. Root, our school’s psychologist and STAR Center Clinical Coordinator also meets with the kids to check-in with their transition as they return. Although academic pressure continues to exist at AB today, the conversation surrounding mental health has changed dramatically over the past two decades. What was once rarely discussed now has improved awareness creating more open and normalized conversation between students, teachers, and families alike. As society’s understanding of mental health continues to evolve, AB’s support systems have evolved alongside it, reflecting a growing recognition in the importance of mental wellbeing, and reinforcing the message that student success is measured not only through grade and test scores, but through wellbeing, connection, and support as well.