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| The 2012-13 Hope Squad. | 368.56 KB |
On Wednesday, September 12th, the Springville Junior High School HOPE Squad members and counselors attended a HOPE Squad training session. It was held at the Grant Building during school. The training lasted the whole day.
HOPE is an acronym for “Hold On, Persuade, and Empower.” Students were voted onto the squad at the beginning of the year by their peers and were nominated based on who you would talk to in a time of crisis. Mrs. Maughan, a HOPE Squad advisor, said, ”The purpose of HOPE Squad is to be there for and help their peers. HOPE Squad tries to prevent suicide, and also to just be a listening ear if someone is having a bad day.” Mrs. Droz, an SJHS counselor and HOPE Squad advisor, agreed. “The purpose of the HOPE Squad is to provide a link between students in crisis and adult helpers. The HOPE Squad members are trained to support and help their peers, provide information about suicide prevention to the school, and refer students in need to those who can help.”
During the training day, students participated in activities like role playing, hot potato, practicing being observant, and eating snacks. They also ate lunch at the Grant Building. The HOPE Squad also had the opportunity to listen to a guest speaker: a BYU teacher and HOPE Squad founder named Monte Marshall, who talked to them about the importance of the HOPE Squad, shared some suicide statistics with them, and shared one of his personal experiences.
Clarissa Scott, an SJHS student and HOPE Squad member who was on the squad this year and last, said, “I thought the training was very helpful... it helped me know what I should do and what I’m doing in HOPE Squad.” Abi Maccabee, another member, said, “I think it went well. It was very well organized.” All the preparation was worth it, though. “We needed to take the time to make sure students understood what to do when helping other students. It’s always worth it if you can teach some skills and help students help each other,” said Mr. Mikesell, an SJHS assistant principal who is also involved in the squad.