Post by title1parent on Aug 30, 2010 5:28:40 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=404403&src=
A guide to dealing with teen suicides
Daily Herald Editorial 8/30/2010
Suburban high schools throughout the area should pay attention to what's happening in two districts that have been affected by teen suicides in recent years. These districts provide a good lesson plan on how to deal with the sensitive issue.
Both St. Charles Unit District 303 and Barrington Unit District 220 have taken the problem head on, encouraging students, parents, teachers and the community as a whole to talk about suicide and help those in need find the resources they need before they take their own lives.
And it's been a success - despite recent setbacks in the Barrington community.
Friday was to be a celebration of Barrington High School's efforts in dealing with the problem. After the fourth suicide in two years, a group was formed in 2009 called HERE, for Help, Encouragement, Resources and Education. They planned a celebration before the first football game this year for getting through the 2009-10 school year without a suicide. But two weeks ago, a student who would have been a senior committed suicide, and then last week a special services assistant in the district also committed suicide.
While some schools may have shied away from the Friday event, we applaud Barrington High School for sticking to its plans. The only way to really address teen suicides is to continue to talk about them and highlight positive ways for dealing with problems.
"Not talking about it hasn't seemed to work," said Bill Seger, an owner of a restaurant frequented by Barrington students who is involved in the HERE coalition. "We have to realize there's solutions to all our problems."
Despite the recent setbacks, the Rev. Mary Tudela, executive director of the Samaritan Counseling Center of the Northwest Suburbs in Barrington and a coalition member, said the group's efforts have been worthwhile.
"I can say we saved some lives," she said. We think that's reason enough for the community to support these efforts and for other communities to launch their own programs.
In St. Charles, six students took their own lives over the course of seven school years. They, too, had no suicides last school year. The district used federal grant money to hire two people at each of its two high schools to handle mental health issues for two years. It highlights suicide prevention resources on its website. And St. Charles, like Barrington, has conducted staff and student training and hosted a series of suicide prevention summits. District officials have focused on bullying, which played a part in some of the suicides, and handling of rejection - both common problems for teenagers. And they realize, as in Barrington, they may not be able to help everyone.
"Our successes are built on small, incremental changes we can make in students' lives," said St. Charles Superintendent Don Schlomann.
That's a laudable goal for any school official.
A guide to dealing with teen suicides
Daily Herald Editorial 8/30/2010
Suburban high schools throughout the area should pay attention to what's happening in two districts that have been affected by teen suicides in recent years. These districts provide a good lesson plan on how to deal with the sensitive issue.
Both St. Charles Unit District 303 and Barrington Unit District 220 have taken the problem head on, encouraging students, parents, teachers and the community as a whole to talk about suicide and help those in need find the resources they need before they take their own lives.
And it's been a success - despite recent setbacks in the Barrington community.
Friday was to be a celebration of Barrington High School's efforts in dealing with the problem. After the fourth suicide in two years, a group was formed in 2009 called HERE, for Help, Encouragement, Resources and Education. They planned a celebration before the first football game this year for getting through the 2009-10 school year without a suicide. But two weeks ago, a student who would have been a senior committed suicide, and then last week a special services assistant in the district also committed suicide.
While some schools may have shied away from the Friday event, we applaud Barrington High School for sticking to its plans. The only way to really address teen suicides is to continue to talk about them and highlight positive ways for dealing with problems.
"Not talking about it hasn't seemed to work," said Bill Seger, an owner of a restaurant frequented by Barrington students who is involved in the HERE coalition. "We have to realize there's solutions to all our problems."
Despite the recent setbacks, the Rev. Mary Tudela, executive director of the Samaritan Counseling Center of the Northwest Suburbs in Barrington and a coalition member, said the group's efforts have been worthwhile.
"I can say we saved some lives," she said. We think that's reason enough for the community to support these efforts and for other communities to launch their own programs.
In St. Charles, six students took their own lives over the course of seven school years. They, too, had no suicides last school year. The district used federal grant money to hire two people at each of its two high schools to handle mental health issues for two years. It highlights suicide prevention resources on its website. And St. Charles, like Barrington, has conducted staff and student training and hosted a series of suicide prevention summits. District officials have focused on bullying, which played a part in some of the suicides, and handling of rejection - both common problems for teenagers. And they realize, as in Barrington, they may not be able to help everyone.
"Our successes are built on small, incremental changes we can make in students' lives," said St. Charles Superintendent Don Schlomann.
That's a laudable goal for any school official.