Teenagers are often forced to grow up sooner than they want when faced with trials. A serious issue that hits close to home for many students is suicide. At Ripon High School, the PALS (Peer Assistance Lasting Support) created many activities for students and faculty to raise awareness about suicide with the hopes of preventing future deaths. These events culminated into Suicide Awareness/Prevention week, which was Sept. 5 through Sept. 8.
During Suicide Awareness/Prevention Week, the PALS focused on empowering the student body to feel valuable and confident in themselves. Throughout the week, RHS students saw encouraging messages on campus windows and walls. Yellow bracelets reading “Faith, Hope, Love” were passed out to students as a constant reminder that they matter, and pens decorated with flowers were passed out to teachers to brighten their days.
One of the biggest events for Suicide Awareness/Prevention Week was a Dove Release on Sept. 8 at the O’Leary Amphitheater. Students and community members were invited to attend.
At the dove release, PALS President, Jamie Sparano, set the stage for the event. She elaborated on the warning signs that should alert people that their peers are considering suicide. Dramatic mood changes, self-isolation, lack of interest or passion, and substance abuse are among these red flags.
Unfortunately, not every person that commits suicide displays these warning signs. PALS student, Maleea Hauff, provided evidence of that as she painted a picture of the tragedy she has experienced in her life. Hauff shared about when her grandfather committed suicide as well as when her mom attempted suicide. Hauff still feels regret for not doing more to reach out to her loved ones.
“Make peace before it’s too late,” Hauff urged students and community members.
Later, Hauff explained her reasons for sharing such a personal account.
“It was important to me because everything that I went through, the thought that my speech might push someone to ask for support or help, that was what motivated me to do it.”
After Hauff’s speech, P.A.L.S. teacher, Mrs. Gist, addressed the crowd and prompted other P.A.L.S students to read secret cards. Ripon High students were given the chance to create these secret cards to participate in Suicide Awareness/Prevention week by writing a fact that no one else knew about them and leaving the card anonymous. This activity was designed to prove that students are not alone in their struggles.
To end the event, several trained doves were released to fly over the attendees and then return to the home of their trainer.
The dove release and week, as a whole, impacted students, but they impacted community members, too. Jennifer Sparano is a parent of Ripon High School students and shared her perspective on suicide.
“This is an issue that has the stigma of being negative,” Sparano shared. “People are embarrassed to talk about mental illness, suicide, and depression, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of because lots of people deal with it. And you can’t tell. Someone could be the happiest person on the outside, but inside he or she is suffering. It’s good to be able to talk about it and promote that it’s okay to talk about it.”
Mary Rosa, another member of the Ripon community chimed in. She has dealt with depression and mental illness in her own life and lost her father to suicide when she was 18.
“If you don’t talk about it you’ll end up sick like I did. My family helped me through, but I also learned how to deal with my own demons. We all have them. You can’t run or hide from them. It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Rosa said. Rosa also could related to Hauff’s feeling of regret for not acting sooner in her father’s life when he began to slip into a suicidal state.
Suicide Awareness/Prevention Week and all the events during it reminded students about their worth and potential. It urged students to treat people with kindness and compassion because they are suffering inside. It encouraged students to talk about their struggles so they can get help and choose life, not suicide.
