Hope Squad at Saint John the Baptist Middle School

Courtesy photo/St. John the Baptist Middle School

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The Hope Squad at St. John the Baptist Middle School is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program.

Mary Thorne

DRAPER — As mental health becomes more of a concern in schools across the country, Saint John the Baptist Middle School has taken initiative by starting a Hope Squad within their community. Hope Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program where students are taught to navigate their way through the negative stigma attached to talking about suicide in schools.

Studies have shown students are more likely to talk about their feelings with peers rather than talking to professionals, teachers, therapists or even parents. Hope Squad trains students, nominated by their peers, to be a safe group of friends available to help students find the help they need.

“I love our Hope Squad; I can see why each member was nominated,” said Kristine Jolley, a co-leader for the school’s squad. “I’m amazed how different they all are and that they each bring a unique element to the squad, and yet they all work very well together. You can tell each one is committed to making sure that they are approachable and available to talk, so their peers can receive the help they need. There were over 60 different people nominated in each grade and over 200 nominations in the entire school. That’s almost everyone! I’m confident though that these squad members, who were nominated by their peers, were the kids who needed to start Hope Squad at St. John the Baptist Middle School. They are already making a difference.”

SJBMS has created teams of students from their own student body of sixth, seventh and eighth grades to recognize warning signs in depressed or suicidal teens and empower them to seek help from adults. The program stemmed from the fact that 7 out of 10 students will go to a peer before asking for help from an adult. Therefore, students are trained in how to talk their peers into seeking help from a trained adult. Saint John the Baptist Middle School eighth-grader Hadeigh Johnston summarized her role perfectly,  saying, “Hope Squad is important because we are there to help prevent suicide. We also are there if anyone just needs a friend!”

Saint John the Baptist Middle School has nine faculty members who are also part of Hope Squad, led by school counselors Kristine Jolley and Kelly Pecora. Each of these teachers has an envelope on their classroom door with little slips of paper containing names and phone numbers of people available to help students in their time of need.

“It has been amazing to see the members of the Hope Squad take ownership of their role to help their peers,” Pecora said. “They’re truly committed to making sure their peers have the support when and if they need it.”

Principal Patrick Reeder added, “I am very grateful to be implementing the Hope Squad program at SJBMS. The Hope Squad program will allow students to develop leadership skills, improve overall peer relationships and provide for a safe environment for our students.”

Mary Thorne is director of Student Services at Saint John the Baptist Middle School.