Mental health is a serious issue and affects everyone. Recently, Westerville South has been taking steps to better support student mental health, and Hope Squad is a large part of that initiative.

English teacher Emily Swank is a Hope Squad advisor and shared that it is a national curriculum that raises awareness concerning youth suicide rates. 

According to ourworldindata.org, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in young people, with almost 800,000 people globally who die from suicide each year.  That number is twice as high as the homicide rates. 

Swank shared that Hope Squad started in Utah, where youth suicide rates at the time were very high at the time.  They were averaging about one to two suicides a year for over twelve years.

The program spread throughout the West, and made its way recently to Westerville. There are programs at all three high schools.  At South there is a class with 12 students, who were chosen by their peers. They do things around school to help make it a more positive environment. A few of the things they have done include wearing ribbons, having a purple and teal theme at the football game, and putting encouraging messages all over the school.

 Mental health is a very important thing and should not be taken lightly. If you feel that you are struggling, then there are many resources that can help you like talking to your counselor, reaching out to a hope squad member, or reaching out to a hope squad advisor. 

Junior Hope Squad member, Nelia Guice makes it a point in her life to put her mental health first because she knows the effects it has on a person, as well as the importance of being in a good headspace. 

Guice enjoys being a Hope Squad member and being able to be there in order to help others, getting to share her empathy with others, and using her experiences and knowledge in order to help others. 

Guice feels that her friends and family are a huge motivating force in her life. While she is a help to others, she also faces pressures, including college, sports, peer issues, etc. She may feel overwhelmed or stressed when dealing with these things.  

She shared, “Knowing I have people there for me motivates me to keep going,” which helps her cope.

Guice tries to find joy in the little things in life around her.  “I try to focus on the things I enjoy, spend time with friends and family, watch movies, color, and other things,” she said. 

She also shares empathy for those who are having hard times.  “I understand the struggles of reaching out, but you should, especially to someone you trust, and after you do so, try to find time for yourself and do what you enjoy,” she said. 

Noelle Spriestersbach, a social worker and counselor, said, “This first year I am amazed at the impact it already has.” She said they plan on having this program for the next four years and each year 50 more students will be selected. With that being said, in the fourth year there will be around 200 Hope Squad students that will be able to help their fellow classmates. 

Spriestersbach also shared that this program is very close to her heart because she was always the one who was helping others and never asking for help. This program is designed to help others who are struggling so if you ever need anything, know you can go to either of the Hope Squad advisors, teacher, or counselor.