JOYCE — Crescent School’s Suicide Prevention Walk and Talk started out as a moment of healing for the school after a student committed suicide in a classroom.
Now the group’s efforts to spread the word have resulted in numerous awards and participation in a television program spotlighting similar groups.
The television series, “Engaged: Students Becoming Citizens,” was nominated for a Northwest Regional Emmy Award in 2009.
The episode, “Students Offering Support,” showed the group delivering a suicide prevention presentation at Stevens Middle School in Port Angeles, and discussing how the group formed in the wake of a classmate’s suicide at Crescent School.
Walk in silence
The walk, which is typically done in silence around the high school track in Joyce at 50350 state Highway 112, will begin at 12:30 p.m. Friday.
The group will move inside to the cafeteria at 1 p.m., where the students will talk about how to recognize symptoms of suicide, how to talk to someone about suicide and other prevention efforts.
The event is free and open to the public.
“We really want to challenge community members to attend this event and support our school’s prevention efforts,” said Sherri Jones, the adviser for the Students Offering Support group at Crescent.
“Anyone who has lost someone to suicide or who wants information about prevention is highly encouraged to attend this event.”
Jones said she encourages anyone who has lost someone to suicide to participate in the walk in remembrance of their loved one.
New partner
Family Planning of Clallam County has signed on as a partner to the event and next year will lead the program, Jones said.
“We will have a Family Planning staff person, Lacy Lennon, joining us at our walk and talk,” Jones said.
“Family Planning has an active suicide prevention effort and wants to incorporate our peer to peer education with their program.
“They will be taking over the Crescent School program next year.”
2004 tragedy
The program at Crescent began after seventh-grader Joe Rogers smuggled a rifle in a musical instrument case into his classroom and shot himself to death in 2004.
The group won the Trevor R. Simpson Award, a statewide award, for its prevention efforts for the 2008-2009 school year.
It was the third year that the team — named Students Offering Support, or SOS — has won an award from the Seattle-based Youth Suicide Prevention Program.
It received an honorable mention in the 2004-2005 school year, won first place for the 2005-2006 school year, and again first place for the 2008-2009 school year in the small school category.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
