September is National Suicide Prevention Month. In Nebraska, suicide is the leading cause of death for children ages 10-14 and the second leading cause of death for ages 15-24. While these stats are troubling, research shows that talking about suicide helps prevent it. As Brownell Talbot hopes to foster a compassionate community of learners, it is our aim to educate and empower our students to check in with themselves and reach out to others in times of need.
Throughout the month of September, BT will host several suicide awareness and prevention educational opportunities:
- Special chapel guest speaker, Grace Manley, on September 4 (read Grace's bio below).
- During the weeks of September 3 and September 9, counselors Mrs. Brianna Vander Vorst and Mrs. Katie Brubaker will be going into classrooms and presenting information about mental health and suicide awareness and prevention to students in grades 5-12.
- In alignment with best practices from Omaha area school districts, the students in grades 5-12 will complete a screener after the presentation. The counseling team will follow up with students and parents if students indicate on the screener that they are in need of support.
Please contact counselors Brianna Vander Vorst (Upper School), Katie Brubaker (Middle School), and Katie Tessin (Lower School) with any questions regarding National Suicide Prevention Month activities.
Additional Reading
What to do if you're worried about suicide
