By Mckinley Beavers, published in al.com
The Alabama Education Lab asked students around the state to describe how the 2020-21 pandemic school year affected them. First-person essays and student projects will be posted throughout the week.
Mckinley Beavers just finished 10th grade at Cleveland High School in Blount County. Next year, she will attend the Alabama School of Fine Arts.
“I am really passionate about acting and I hope to be able to do it as a career in the future,” she said. “I am very proud to have had the opportunity to share mine and others’ stories through something I am passionate about and bring light to the issues many students have faced this year.”
She created a video about what it was like to do the majority of her classes and schoolwork online over the past year. More teachers and students need to be aware of the pressure stress and isolation can place on mental health, she said.