Suicide Prevention

Tonight Mrs. Lord, Mrs. Gratz and I had the opportunity to attend a powerful presentation by the President of the Jason Foundation.  The Jason Foundation is an organization dedicated to the prevention of youth suicide in the country.  Obviously, at WKHS and the greater Worthington community has been impacted by suicide too many times.  (Even one time is too many.)  As I sat listening to this gentleman share his story (his son, Jason, died by suicide 17 years ago) and the statistics about what makes a difference my mind continually turned to you - my students.

There may be times when you feel lost and alone, but please remember that I am here and I care about you.  You are important to me, to your teachers, to your friends, to your family, and to the community.  I acknowledge that there may be times in your life when you question if people really do care and if you really do matter, but YOU DO MATTER!

If you or one of your friends is having thoughts of suicide, please come see me.  If it happens after school hours, please contact an adult you trust and reach out to a suicide hotline.  (The suicide hotline is 1-800-273-TALK.)

If you're interested in learning more about the Jason Foundation, visit them at www.jasonfoundation.org and they also have a free app called "A Friend Asks" that you can download.