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High school can be a tough place. Just ask Mercer County seniors Corey Brown, Katrina Bryant, Sarah Jones and Cody Pike.
“The people we go to school with, they’re still harsh,” Bryant said.
That harshness can be a contributing factor to youth suicide, a persistent tragedy that is often so difficult to deal with, it is hushed up.
This is something that Melody Pike, coordinator of the Youth Services Center at Mercer County Senior High, and other educators around the state have been striving to change.
“When I first started this job 11 years ago, people in the community were asking me, ‘What are you going to do about the suicide rate?’” Pike said.
According to the CDC, suicide is the third leading cause of death for 11- to 24-year olds nationwide and the second leading cause for 15- to 24-year olds in of Kentucky. These figures are what concerns educators.
Pike began doing research and discovered that Mercer County had a higher rate than those surrounding it. She began trying to find a way to reverse this.
In 2010, legislation was passed in Kentucky that mandated the dissemination of suicide information to teachers and students. Middle and high school teachers are required to do at least two hours of self-taught study before passing the information to their students. It must be given to the students before Sept. 1. of each school year.
Boyle County, Danville and Mercer County schools all use slightly different programs to increase awareness of suicide and ways to prevent it.
Boyle County varies its curriculum each year. This is to make sure students aren’t getting the same program every year, according to Pam Tamme, Boyle County District Counselor. This year, they will be implementing a video program, “More Than Sad: Teen Depression.”
Following the student sessions in Boyle County, every student is given a short questionnaire, which gives them an opportunity to ask for help.
“Some students are concerned about a family member or friends while some want support for themselves,” Tamme said.
Danville schools focus on working together and crafting a program suited for them.
Teachers at Bate Middle and Danville High schools are required to view a two-hour Powerpoint with videos and testimonials available from the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide and take a follow-up test. They then meet together as a group to discuss the videos.
“We’re not mental health professionals. We’re not equipped to deal with all of these things. But what we are equipped to do is to learn the signs, identify the at-risk students and refer them to the appropriate resources,” Amy Galloway, principal at Bate Middle School, said.
Danville has also created a Student Assistance Team, or SAT. All teachers are given referral forms to fill out when they believe a student needs assistance of some kind. This team also helps those who are in need of food, clothing or other types of help.
“We don’t want to ever just meet the requirement. We really want to go above and beyond, and that’s the purpose of the SAT,” said Kristi Short, director of The Beacon Youth Services Center.
The center also offers home visits, if needed. This includes getting the information out to parents.
In 2009, Mercer instituted suicide prevention programs in the schools. Mercer uses Signs of Suicide for the students. SOS is a research-based program that has shown to reduce suicidal ideation by 40 percent.
“The people we go to school with, they’re still harsh,” Bryant said.
That harshness can be a contributing factor to youth suicide, a persistent tragedy that is often so difficult to deal with, it is hushed up.
This is something that Melody Pike, coordinator of the Youth Services Center at Mercer County Senior High, and other educators around the state have been striving to change.
“When I first started this job 11 years ago, people in the community were asking me, ‘What are you going to do about the suicide rate?’” Pike said.
According to the CDC, suicide is the third leading cause of death for 11- to 24-year olds nationwide and the second leading cause for 15- to 24-year olds in of Kentucky. These figures are what concerns educators.
Pike began doing research and discovered that Mercer County had a higher rate than those surrounding it. She began trying to find a way to reverse this.
In 2010, legislation was passed in Kentucky that mandated the dissemination of suicide information to teachers and students. Middle and high school teachers are required to do at least two hours of self-taught study before passing the information to their students. It must be given to the students before Sept. 1. of each school year.
Boyle County, Danville and Mercer County schools all use slightly different programs to increase awareness of suicide and ways to prevent it.
Boyle County varies its curriculum each year. This is to make sure students aren’t getting the same program every year, according to Pam Tamme, Boyle County District Counselor. This year, they will be implementing a video program, “More Than Sad: Teen Depression.”
Following the student sessions in Boyle County, every student is given a short questionnaire, which gives them an opportunity to ask for help.
“Some students are concerned about a family member or friends while some want support for themselves,” Tamme said.
Danville schools focus on working together and crafting a program suited for them.
Teachers at Bate Middle and Danville High schools are required to view a two-hour Powerpoint with videos and testimonials available from the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide and take a follow-up test. They then meet together as a group to discuss the videos.
“We’re not mental health professionals. We’re not equipped to deal with all of these things. But what we are equipped to do is to learn the signs, identify the at-risk students and refer them to the appropriate resources,” Amy Galloway, principal at Bate Middle School, said.
Danville has also created a Student Assistance Team, or SAT. All teachers are given referral forms to fill out when they believe a student needs assistance of some kind. This team also helps those who are in need of food, clothing or other types of help.
“We don’t want to ever just meet the requirement. We really want to go above and beyond, and that’s the purpose of the SAT,” said Kristi Short, director of The Beacon Youth Services Center.
The center also offers home visits, if needed. This includes getting the information out to parents.
In 2009, Mercer instituted suicide prevention programs in the schools. Mercer uses Signs of Suicide for the students. SOS is a research-based program that has shown to reduce suicidal ideation by 40 percent.
