We all know what high school life is like.  It’s really tough at times.  Peer pressure, relationships, friendships, teachers, and homework can all come crashing down on someone. We’re all hormonal teenagers who are overly emotional and dramatic. On top of all of that, imagine losing a family member or a friend. It makes life so much more difficult.

According to npr.org, there is data that estimates 1 in every 20 children will lose a parent by the time he or she graduates from high school, not including those who will lose a sibling, grandparent, or close friend. As you can see by the statistics, there are an abundance of children who deal with loss. The death of an individual in the school community is a tragic event, and involves so much more than just the immediate family; it affects most of the student body as well.

We are living in a world of technology. Technology is supposed to improve our lives, but for a lot of us technology consumes our lives. Some people use social media in a way to connect and sympathize. Social media is nice in a way that you get to see all these pictures and all these comments, which help to realize that you’re not the only one hurting. For others, social media is a place where you engage your audience and use it for attention. In my opinion these are the worst people, people who use the loss of one’s life for attention. Then there are just some who are completely inconsiderate of your feelings and say whatever they feel. But what I have learned is that you have the power to let these people affect you or not.

Coping with loss in high school is extremely difficult. You still have to go about your everyday life and get stuff done. Even though at times, you do not want it to, life continues on. You’re going to have teachers who won’t give you a break. There’s going to be dumb kids that say things that’ll hurt your feelings. These people are the ones who make the grief process so much more difficult. But there are so many more people who are there for you and those are the people you should be grateful for.

“When my dad died I received a lot of love from my teachers and other students. I don’t think I could have made it through the year without the support system. It helped me to cope to feel like I had people who cared. Our school has very caring teachers and students that are always there to help people handle loss,” said junior, Jill Phipps.

Dealing with loss is a dreadful, but you will get through even though it seems nearly impossible.