DANVILLE — When two classmates died within four months of each other, a group of students at Danville Area High School in April 2020 formed their own support system.
The Students Preserving Mental Health Club became a school-sponsored club in March 2021, increasing from 12 members to 90 members. They hold events to raise awareness for mental health and suicide, raise funds for the scholarships formed in honor of their late classmates, and seek training to learn how to respond to students who are expressing emotional issues.
“Seeing how the community and friends reacted, and how ourselves reacted, a lot of of us were personally affected by the two deaths, the two kids we lost,” said 2022 graduate Chloe Hoffman, 18, of Danville.
Hoffman added, “I feel like I’m helping other people. It may not be easy to see. It makes me feel like I’m making a difference. Every single one of us is personally affected. It’s a good feeling after something so traumatizing.”
A seventh-grade student took his own life in November 2019. Then a junior took his own life in March of 2020, the same month that the governor ordered all Pennsylvania schools closed to in-person learning in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. The students who would form the club were home without the benefit of having school-sponsored counselors physically in the same place.
“When the second suicide happened, it was the weekend that the world shut down with COVID,” said club adviser Emily Morgan, a biology teacher. “A lot of these kids were grieving and trying to process that on their own. There wasn’t a ton of connectedness like you would normally get by seeing your peers in class. The district offered support with guidance counselors. They (the students) tried to bring some morale, some connectedness and even closure.”
Danville Superintendent Dr. Ricki Boyle, an educator of 30 years, said she has never seen students come together like this in the wake of a tragedy. It is often led by teachers, but being student-driven makes this effort “special,” she said.
“It was very few days after COVID,” said Boyle. “They needed each other. We offered to be here, but they needed their peers. The only way to do it was to create something for themselves. That was very instrumental in why it became a thing. They have carried it through tremendously. I can’t give these kids enough credit.”
Morgan, 32, said this generation has seen a cultural shift.
“These guys know their emotions and thoughts more than my generation tapped into,” said Morgan. “We never had this in high school. We never had a push to talk about mental health. It was such a stigma growing up. There’s been a cultural shift as a nation and in this area. These kids know when they’re not OK. They’re supportive of each other.”
The club
The club in May teamed up with Nate Wagner and Hawkins Chevrolet to produce a 2:26-minute video called “We Are All In This Together.” The students in black and white discuss statistics about suicide and mental health. The video then turns to color as the students tell the viewers that they can ask for help.
In a nature background, the students offer helpful ways to cope with stress, including asking for help, returning to something that has made you happy in the past, going to the gym, and listening to music, among other strategies.
The video, which can be found on the group’s Facebook page “Danville SPM” and Instagram account “danville_spm” has gathered nearly 3,000 views.
Recent high school graduate Lauryn Hawkins, 18, of Danville, said the club created a series of bracelets that are available for purchase at their events. The bracelets have hotline numbers, the initials of the students they lost and the name of the club. The club also has stickers that they hand out at games and hang up “kindness matters” posters, she said.
During Valentine’s Day, they put up hearts with kind messages and hotline numbers. They partnered with CMSU (Columbia, Montour, Snyder and Union) Behavioral Health and Developmental Services during Mental Health Awareness Month in May and encouraged students to wear green to spread awareness. They have also released balloons each spring in honor of their friend.
In October, the students received training for QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer), a kind of CPR for emotions, through the CMSU.
“They shared a lot of stats with us,” said incoming senior Mason Raup, 17, of Danville. “They put it into a student perspective to make it easier for us to understand. They taught us a process of what to do who we think may be struggling or having suicidal thoughts.”
When the events are held, students come together, said Hawkins.
“Everyone is hanging out together. That’s one of our goals, to bring everyone together,” she said.
The club is also aware that social media can be a “dark and bad environment,” said Hoffman.
They use their social media to promote happy or inspirational content to “make it a healthier environment for people who are following us because it is a big problem,” said Hoffman.
Fast growth
Hoffman said she doesn’t think the club would have grown so fast without the support of the community, administrators and peers. CMSU funds the events and local businesses sponsor and donate items, she said.
The club isn’t limited to its members. Anyone can participate or attend the events from the student body to community members to business owners, said 2022 graduate Gabe Benjamin, 18, of Danville.
“Everybody’s been very willing to get involved and help out and be there for each other,” said Benjamin.
Hawkins said the club has helped them come together.
“There are times when I felt alone, and I’m sure there are a lot of other people that have had that feeling,” said Hawkins. “This club has helped me see that there’s always someone there for you, whether that’s your best friend or someone you met a week ago.”
Benjamin said it was “very beneficial” to be around each other and cope. It’s helpful to have the events, he said.
‘More than us’
The students said teenagers have unique stressors. Hawkins and Hoffman said there is pressure in the senior year to think about that next step after high school. A lot of eyes are on seniors as they prepare for the world after, they said.
“The whole balancing school and sports and social life and work as a teenager is hard,” said Hoffman.
“There’s a fear of failure, not being able to do your best,” said Hawkins.
Hawkins said it can be hard for students to come to terms with everything going on. It is a big step to take to be willing to talk, she said.
“That’s where our club comes in. It can be easier to talk to your peers than to talk to an adult,” she said.
There’s still a stigma surrounding mental health, said Hoffman.
“Unfortunately it will be there for a long time,” she said. “We’ll just continue to do our part, and hopefully spread that drive to other people, and hope that it dwindles and goes away. It’s going to take more than just us. We need people to take a stand together and end the stigma.”
Morgan said suicide and mental health issues affect every generation.
“It’s taking these guys to really do something about it, because we never did,” she said. “It’s clearly not something teen-specific. Young people are more likely to die by suicide, but it’s not exclusive to them. It’s cool they are tackling something that is bigger than them, but even bigger than just their age bracket.”