by:  Jack Wallace and Justin Gonzalez 

A concussion is a brain injury which is caused by a blow to the head or by violent shaking of the head and body. Last year, Westborough High School athletics experienced twenty-seven different incidents involving concussions whether they were sustained in games or practices. Sarah Carver, Westborough High School Athletic Trainer, states that 20% percent of those concussions were from football while the remaining 80% of the concussions were caused by boys’ and girls’ ice hockey, basketball, soccer, track, cheering, and gymnastics. While concussions clearly will affect you in athletics, the ramifications that they have on school work and mental health could potentially be more serious.

Danielle Ransom conducted a study in the the journal Pediatrics about how kids are affected in the classroom after they suffer a concussion. She examined 349 different adolescents between the ages of five and eighteen who had suffered concussions. Eighty-eight percent of those students reported difficulty with understanding problems or lessons in class. Seventy-seven percent of the students stated they had issues with taking notes and completing homework assignments.

Student athletes across the country tend to hide concussions in effort to continue to participate in their respective sport. While admirable, the effects of not treating a concussion in its earliest stages can cause serious trauma to the brain.  Carver and Athletic Director Johanna Dicarlo have organized meetings at the beginning of each sports season to address the warning signs and symptoms of concussions.  

“There has been an exponential increase in the number of concussions since I began working at Westborough High School,” says Carver. “The reporting is better which is why the number of known concussions has gradually increased.”

Westborough High School has gradually become more aware of how to protect themselves and prevent concussions from happening. If you or an athlete you know is experiencing the symptoms related to concussions, it’s important to let somebody know so the effects can be treated properly and so that you can return to the field as soon a possible.

http://time.com/3852458/how-concussions-affect-school-grades/