I was selected in 2021-22 to report on how schools are coping with students returning to in-person learning among an ongoing pandemic and rising reports of mental illness. The pandemic left many of us isolated and literally alone. Social distancing kept us communicating over social media and many of us suffer(ed) Zoom fatigue. I first looked at the existing system of identifying students who are at risk of mental illness and substance use disorder. Schools often ID kids’ mental health concerns. That’s where Georgia’s Apex program comes in The second feature tackled what some students are doing to help each other connect and talk about the effects of suicide in…