Counselors send schoolwide mental health email

Upper School Counselors Michelle Bracken, Brittany Bronson and Tina McGraw and Athletics Counselor Kat Scardino sent an all-school email Thursday addressing heightened mental health concerns in the school community following the fatal overdose of Sam Chapman, a 16-year-old who attended Milken Community School, on Sunday. Chapman died of a drug overdose at home after connecting with a drug dealer on Snapchat, according to an Instagram post by Dr. Laura Berman, Chapman’s mother. “Sheltering at home. A drug dealer connected with [Chapman] on Snapchat and gave him fentanyl-laced Xanax and he overdosed in his room,” Berman’s post reads. Chapman’s death underscored recent concerns about students’ mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as students lack access to traditional support networks such as spending time with friends or confiding in trusted adults at school. Zoe Shapiro ’23, a member of the school’s Plus One Club that supports students through their struggles with grief and mental health, said she has struggled with depression since sixth grade. Although she said she did not resort to substance abuse, Shapiro said she understands the transition from struggling with poor mental health to abusing substances. “My depression never went into drug abuse or anything like that, but I…
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