text: Nowadays, many students suffer from some form of mental illness. In fact, 1 in 4 high school and middle school students suffer from some form of depression or anxiety. In order to combat this raging epidemic, online or video conferencing must be provided. Although some may say allowing online classes can take away from the high school experience, that however, is flawed because many people have benefited from online classes not only in grades, but in mental health. For example, my friend Generic_Name suffers from anxiety caused by recent school shootings and social interaction. She constantly over thinks every social interaction and even thinks the person she is talking to is ridiculing them when in reality, that is not the case. She eventually did take an online class at the comfort of her own home, which reduced a lot of the stress she had from school. I saw a gradual increase in her mood. If someone like her can improve, many others can as well. She was no longer afraid of her previous fears. Another example is with myself. When I was injured during a wrestling tournament, I was gone away from school to recover. I, however, wanted to continue my education so I would not be far behind when I came back. I picked up a video conference call with my teachers and was able to catch up with my classmates. I was relieved and was stress free when I came back. Schools should not only allow it, but they should motivate their students in taking online classes as an viable option.