In the wake of three student suicides, the school community is emphasizing the need for action and is working to improve students’ mental health.

“We thought about it a lot, and we realized that to try and move on with the year without referring back to [the suicides] would imply that we had ignored the problem, which is totally not true,” Principal Noreen Likins said.

According to Likins, the suicides were not simply a result of academic stress. “I think a lot of people were trying to equate school pressure to the suicides, which was not the case,” she said. “Pressure and stress do not cause suicide, but they can and do exacerbate existing mental health problems.”

Likins hopes that the recent events start more conversations about how to deal with suicide and depression. “We want the spotlight to get off suicide and onto the mental health and well-being piece,” she said. “We want [the issue of mental health] to be talked about and not something to push under the carpet.”

Counselors from Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) introduced themselves on stage at the opening assembly held Sept. 1 to offer support for students affected by the recent tragedies. “We want students to really see us as people who can help them through this time,” ACS Director Roni Gillenson said. “We’re separate from the academic counselors and teachers and are here more to offer emotional support for students.”

Gillenson encourages students to make use of ACS. “It’s incredibly stressful to be a student at Gunn and to be a teenager, and with a lot of tragedy occurring recently, it’s hard for everybody to deal with it,” she said.

The Student Executive Council (SEC) is working with the administration to help create an environment where students can be more open with counselors. “We made it our primary goal for this year to close the gap between students and staff,” senior Student Body President Daljeet Virdi said. SEC will check in with the administration throughout the year.

The administration plans to hold workshops on the issue of mental health for both students and teachers. It will also bring in speakers to talk with students outside of instructional time and possibly during optional assemblies throughout the year. According to Likins, these plans have not yet been finalized.

Both Likins and Gillenson stress the need for students to break the “code of silence” if a friend expresses suicidal thoughts. “A student can be suicidal one day, but if someone helps them get through to the next day, and the next day after that, then their feelings may eventually change,” Gillenson said. “It’s important to break that confidentiality [and tell a trusted adult] so that the person doesn’t feel like that forever.”

Students form ROCK

To help bring students together, seniors Esther Han and Joyce Liu created the student-run support group ROCK (which stands for Reach. Out. Care. Know.) at the end of last year.

“Last year, the community really came together and looked out for each other, so Joyce [and Esther] wanted to capitalize on and maintain those feelings,” Likins said.

ROCK is similar to a peer counseling elective offered in the past known as Peer Helping. “[We chose the name ROCK] because a rock is always there for support when you need it,” Han said. As part of the ROCK program, students can sign up to be “rocks,” or mentors who are willing to talk to other students in person, through e-mail or by phone.

Lists of available mentors will be posted around the campus by the end of September, and students can talk to them at any time. According to Han and Liu, meetings between rocks and students will be held to a code of confidentiality unless someone expresses suicidal thoughts.

While Liu cautions that ROCK is not a long-term solution for the issue of students’ mental well-being, she believes it will help people to open up to one another. “It will at least get people talking,” Liu said. “I think it’s a beginning step. My goal for [ROCK is to make] people understand that they can speak to people on campus who care.”

Liu emphasizes that “everyone can be a rock for someone else.” Han adds that ROCK is not in fact a peer counseling group, and is instead meant to be a casual group to encourage students to reach out to one another. “Most people want to help, but just don’t know how,” Liu said. By encouraging casual conversation, Liu hopes ROCK will help remove the stigma of “I need help” and instead shift the focus to creating a positive community environment.

ROCK will also extend its focus to suggestions for academics. “At the Elective Fair, we hope to have a table out so that people can come to us for advice about classes,” Han said.

Liu is working with the administration to get peer counseling training for rocks and anyone else who wants to learn. They will be meeting with Linda Silvius and Barbara Varenhorst from Project Cornerstone about starting a Peer Helping training program at Gunn later in September.

ROCK is unique in its approach of forming a communal network between students. “There’s just something about when students come together and say, ‘Let’s do something,’ that makes it much more effective,” English teacher Paul Dunlap said. Gillenson agrees. “[Students] listen to and are more affected by each other, so when they form a group like this, it can become the most powerful support,” she said.

Freshman Barbara Kandek, however, believes that it is also important to communicate with adults. “I suppose that students do feel better when talking to others of, or close to the same age, and are more comfortable talking about their problems with their peers,” Kandek said. “But sometimes you need an adult’s point of view on the things you’re going through because it’s like a wake up call. Sometimes we younger people don’t notice that the things we are worrying about really are small things.”

Students interested in learning more about ROCK can visit their Web site at http://www.rockatgunn.wordpress.com or contact them at rockatgunn@gmail.com.

Community Resources for Students

Resources are also located on the Guidance Web site and in the Main Office.