RYE – After being awarded a grant last year, Rye High School finally debuted the Sources of Strength program on Wednesday.
About 30 people, including staff and students, spent the day being trained through team-building and group activities. Discussions centered around wellness and resiliency, and how strength can play a huge role in a person’s well-being.
Staff and students also learned about certain traits that would indicate someone might be suicidal and how to handle that. A huge component of the program is that peer leaders and staff members are making connections, letting students know that they are not alone. The ultimate goal is to catch problems before they become a crisis and to prevent more lives from being taken by suicide. The Rye community has lost some students and adults to suicide in recent years.
John Bogle, a Sources of Strength peer leader, said, “I learned that…mental health affects more than just how you’re feeling. It affects what you do, how you do it, how you dress, how you are.”
Fellow peer leader Asia Musselman-Moe said, “I think it matters a lot for high school students to have someone to turn to and it’s really important to be able to teach us how to handle each other in events of distress or trauma.”
Sources of Strength peer leaders will be meeting throughout the year and seeking out those students who may be having issues and need help.
If you’d like to get your school connected to Sources of Strength CLICK HERE.
If you or someone you know is in need of help call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
