Olivia Weitz

As a member of the Cascade Quartet of the Great Falls Symphony, Megan Karls is used to playing her violin with other people, for other people. But when the coronavirus pandemic closed concert halls last year, she embarked on a solo project.

The pandemic has taken a toll on teenager’s mental health. A survey found that in 2020 Montana was in the top five states nationwide for the percentage of pediatric insurance claims that were related to mental health. Earlier this month, as Park High School students returned to fourt days per week of in person learning, Livingston Public Schools piloted a mental health screener with ninth graders.