Strength = Connection

This week is national suicide prevention awareness week. You have been/ will be hearing announcements daily to remind you that YOU MATTER! You matter to your family and friends. You matter to your teachers and classmates. You matter in our school and community. It is so easy to get caught in the lie that you are just a number, but you are so much more than that!

One of the greatest strengths that I love about Kilbourne and Worthington as a whole is how all of you show up for one another in times of struggle. We have witnessed that over and over again in big and small ways. Maybe it is giving a smile to someone in the hall or holding the door open for someone or encouraging and listening to a friend who is having a bad day. It is so easy to forget how much you are making a difference in the world around you, but you are having that impact.

Tomorrow there will be a PACK period during which time your teachers will be showing a video about the importance of suicide prevention. The reminder that we hope you take away is that if you are ever worried about a friend (or yourself), remember that help is available. You can ask about how your friend is doing, you can an adult and we can check in on the friend, or both!

Aside from the PACK period which is a district-wide initiative, the WKHS Counselors will also be in the commons during all of the lunch periods tomorrow with goodies and give-aways connected to suicide prevention and the 988 crisis line.

If you or someone you care about is ever in emotional distress or having thoughts of suicide, help is only three numbers away: 988. This is the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline—available 24/7, free, and confidential. Since its launch in 2022, the Lifeline has supported more than 17.5 million people and answered more than 12 million calls. 

Our greatest strength is connection—reach out, lean in, and know you belong!