September: A month to honor and remember those who have lost their lives to suicide, as well as a dedicated time frame for spreading awareness for those struggling mentally. Although the calendar has flipped to October, the relevance and importance of this have not diminished. In the past year, suicide was one of the three leading causes of death for adolescents ages 15-19, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. As the year progresses, the conversations sparked in September continue to inform and help individuals, especially high school students. The events and feelings surrounding suicide prevention do not end when the month of September ends.

Senior Angelica Claire is an advocate for mental health awareness through her actions, as well as her social media platforms. Posting and reposting facts, advice and destigmatizing talking about mental health struggles is a goal of Claire’s.

“I don’t think that mental health is talked about as much as it should be, especially for teenagers. I don’t think a lot of people realize how big of an issue it really is,” Claire said. “I spread awareness as much as I can to let people know that they are not alone and that people deal with similar struggles.”

Claire reiterates the importance of not only using September for advocacy.

“A lot of the time, reaching out seems really intimidating because teens may feel that they won’t get the help that they need,” Claire said.

The Wellness Center, a resource for students seeking help with any sort of mental health concern, aims to alleviate the intimidation that high school students may experience. There are several ways to access the space, one option being an online referral, whether that be a self-referral or a concern about a friend or peer. Additionally, anyone can enter the wellness space to talk face-to-face with any of the counselors available. Spencer DeWoody, Wellness Coordinator, reiterates this.

“The wellness space is always something that we offer, as far as students who are struggling can use. We do groups or one-on-one counseling,” DeWoody said.

The Wellness Center and the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) have integrated suicide prevention and awareness into the school curriculum, for students to gain an educated mindset around the topic.

“In every freshman classroom, we have something called Signs of Suicide (SOS). Their teacher goes over this presentation with them, covering how to help themselves or a friend, if they’re sensing that their friend is struggling,” DeWoody said. “At the end, students take a survey that says, ‘I’d like to talk to someone in wellness’, ‘I’d like to address a concern for a friend or myself’ or ‘this presentation made me feel uncomfortable’. I check in with students if they answer any of these.”

Paula Berry, Head of Curriculum, and Jessica Coleman, Director of Wellness, took an initiative sparked by Bark and Peer Resource students and made changes in the curriculum surrounding mental health and suicide prevention awareness.

“The Bark class last year watched this documentary called ‘Not Alone’ and decided that all high schoolers should watch it. So, this year, instead of the Signs of Suicide curriculum, we’re showing that documentary to all juniors and having a discussion,” DeWoody said. “We wanted to push this initiative. I’m glad that we did, because the documentary is pretty impactful. It’s really cool that students had a voice in what the curriculum looks like.”

In addition to school-implemented initiatives, schoolwide movements or signs of solidarity are impactful to the greater community. 

“When [a student in our district] passed, there were bracelets that were handed around at school in their honor. I think this is an amazing way to show community support, even if it’s not for a specific person. It just shows how many people care about these issues,” Claire said.

The girls’ varsity cheerleading team, of which Claire is a member, participates in their own efforts to show solidarity in honor of this student. The team has kept the bracelets and wears them to practice and games.

“Everyone on the team still has these [bracelets] on our shoes. We never take them off,” Claire said.

Small actions, like wearing awareness ribbons, bracelets or bands share resources and start conversations. This act of unity can make a difference in groups or in individuals’ lives. September is a symbol of respect and visibility to those struggling, but these themes and messages are spread throughout the community year-round in the TUHSD.

“We just want you to be here and you matter,” DeWoody said. “That’s the message that I want to send.”