Spy Interview with Project Hopeful: Easton High Students Support Mental Health Services in Schools with Togathon

Hopeful: Easton High Students Support Mental Health Services in Schools with Togathon

February 15, 2021 by The Spy 

It’s time to get that old toga out of storage, a new form of Toga party is coming to town.

The Easton High School’s (EHS) Latin Honor Society presents “Togathon” on February 20th and 21. The six-hour-long live-stream event will raise funds for the Hopeful Campaign’s new focus on supplementing mental health services in local schools. To help raise awareness for this cause, a series of on-screen interviews where students, teachers, and parents share their thoughts and hopes around this issue is being produced.

The Togathon event will provide online entertainment featuring different performances by local talent, school clubs, and community organizations. Acts will include music, comedy, student-made short films, wrestling, painting and more with online donations being accepted through a GoFundMe platform on Facebook. Various prizes will be distributed to viewers based on viewer watch-time and donation amounts. People who watch longer and donate more will have greater chances at winning prizes, including various gift cards from local businesses, themed baskets and professional services, such as a photoshoot for five people valued at $400.

The EHS Latin Honor Society elected to support mental health services for students since recognizing those in the education system have been greatly affected by the pandemic and the challenges of virtual learning. According to Rob Schmidt, Mental Health Coordinator at Talbot County Public Schools, “COVID-19 has been extremely tough on kids of all ages. The social isolation, loneliness, change in normal routines, endless time with family at home – all of these together have really made a huge impact on the lives of students and families. It’s never been more important than today to support mental health services in our community and we are grateful to our student population for reaching out to support and recognize this important community priority.”

The Spy met by Zoom with event leaders Chloe Dixon, Madeline Principe and Vlad Rada a few days ago to find out the latest.