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Suicide prevention Youth Task Force topic
Wednesday morning, in a wide-ranging one hour meeting, the Vernon County Youth Task Force addressed items from a review of recent and upcoming events to a serious discussion on the need for suicide prevention education.
Sherrie Close, Prevention Coordinator with Compass Health Network, the umbrella organization which includes Pathways Community Health, said, “I serve a multi-county area and I would urge this group to address the increasing problem of student suicide. I know of students who were as young as 10 and 8 years old, who felt so desperate, they took their own lives.”
Discussion turned to the 2007 book, “13 Reasons Why,” by Jay Asher along with the current Netflix series of the same name.
Said Nevada R-5 student Braydee Gaines, “The book was really good and helpful. It didn’t glorify or promote suicide in any way but the Netflix show adds things which I think does.”
Said Close, “The book is about a high school junior who comes home from school and finds, on his porch, a box containing cassettes tapes recorded by his classmate and crush, who had committed suicide two weeks earlier. The tapes give 13 reasons why she chose to end her life.”
The Netflix series of the same name is a big hit with teens but suicide experts are concerned its emphasis on life’s hardships and people’s cruelty may be at least upsetting and even triggering thoughts of suicide for some vulnerable adolescents.
Close described the suicide intervention program known as Question, Persuade and Refer, which helps to identify suicidal persons and interrupt the crisis and direct that person to the proper care.
A lively discussion focused on the need for education to create awareness, help people realize the signs and give people intervention strategies. This topic may well be made part of next year’s anti-bullying conference.
“We want everyone to be part of the adventure called life,” said Close. “But once you’ve committed suicide, you’re not part of the story anymore.”
A review of the four events which comprised the April 3-7, “I Choose Kindness” week, was led off by one its Youth Enrichment Services committee project leaders, Braydee Gaines, who had worked alongside Rylee Wingert, Shanee Philipps and Constance Moore.
On Monday of that week, at the Nevada R-5 high school, students signed a large board committing themselves to choosing kindness.
“The greatest success of the whole week was the sticky note bulletin board,” said Gaines.”
Each student has an advisory period and one day during that time, teachers made available sticky notes upon which to write messages and acts of kindness.
“It was huge,” said R-5 senior, Hannah Bond. “People took multiple sticky notes and wrote wonderful things and soon the board was overflowing.”
“I was really pleased and proud of our students,” said R-5 district, assistant superintendent, Jodie McNeley. “Several times recently, I’ve gone over to that board and read what students wrote and I’ve always left with a smile on my face.”
On Wednesday of that week, students and task force members were out at Woods Supermarket, McDonalds and Wal-Mart from noon to 1 p.m. distributing chocolate candy kisses along with a business card sized hand out.
Designed by Healthy Nevada employee, Tiffany Miller, the card features the slogan “I Choose Kindness” on the front while the back encourages people to say and do things for others in order to change “the world one kind act at a time.”
Said Dr. Tricia Bridgewater, chair of the task force, “On Friday of that week, oh, my gosh, we had the most fun at the high school as we offered students a cup of hot chocolate as they came in.”
Bond said, “Some thought it was a fund raiser or it obligated the student to do something.”
“When we told them it was an example of kindness and asked them to pass kindness on, they were surprised and grateful because it was a cold morning,” said Gaines.
McNeley described how 130 R-5 teachers and staff used 3 hours of April’s professional development day to volunteer at multiple sites around the community.
“We ask our community for a lot of support and this was an opportunity for us to share our gratitude,” said McNeley.
Kora Anderson, Health Services Coordinator for the R-5 district looked over at Tasha Triplett, a nurse with the Vernon County Health Department and thanked her for the clinics, which provided 47 immunizations at the middle school and 59 at the high school.
Triplett returned the compliment saying, “When we see very incomplete immunization records we know their children had not been attending the R-5 district. You and your nurses stay on top of this, which helps protect us all.”
McNeley reported the R-5 district’s attendance rate is 92 percent and thanked the group for supporting its Minutes Matter campaign.
Jill Jenkins with On My Own spoke of her parent support group for those whose children have disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder.
Due to predicted heavy rain, the powderpuff football games scheduled for this weekend have been rescheduled to Saturday, May 6.
Rinehart Church’s youth minister, Elijah Pierson, led off the meeting with an explanation and examples related to the word of the month, self-discipline. Nevada Police Chief, Casey Crain, mentioned this Saturday’s prescription medication collection at the police station from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We’ll soon be putting out information and then starting a year round police cadet program for those age 14-21, which will meet twice a month,” said Crain. “Cadets will sometimes ride with officers and receive a wide variety of training.”
Nevada Police Officer, Marcus Champion, spoke of the upcoming Law Enforcement Special Olympic Torch Run on May 20 and of the shirts he is selling. “We will begin at 7 a.m. with biscuits and gravy at the Nevada Housing Authority’s Crawford House and later hold the run.”
The meeting closed as Anderson paid tribute to her fellow school nurses and mentioned National School Nurse Day being May 10.