30 years ago, when I first walked into Eaglecrest High School, schools were pretty much like they had been for the previous 30 years. Since that time, I have had a front row seat watching world events and technological advancements systematically change the landscape of America’s high schools. In 1999 I was standing in the East hallway preparing to go coach track practice when word of the tragedy at Columbine began to spread. All activities for the day were immediately cancelled; and I knew change was coming for us all. In September of 2001, I was with my 4th period AP US History class as we watched the first of the towers fall and I knew we would never be the same. In a less identifiable single moment, I have watched as the mobile phone and social media revolutions have systematically altered the experience of people everywhere.

Those changes and many more have made life more complicated. While we are all faced with the need to adjust to the realities of this new world, no group has a more difficult road to navigating these realities than do high school students. Concerns over the future of our nation, the pall of worries about safety in school, and the inability of teens to shut off the noise of social media has made the life of high school students complex, in ways never seen before. The difficulty of navigation has previous generation saying things like “I could not do what teenagers have to do these days.” or “ I did not have to deal with any of these things growing up.”  High School age students are doing an amazing job navigating our world. But, there has been a cost and it has shown up in high schools across the nation in devastating way with the clear rise in number of deaths by suicide.

How do we as a nation, as a community, as a school, as individuals address this uptick in death by suicide? The answers to this are not easily discovered or implemented, but one thing is clear; change will not be possible if unity of purpose is not the goal. Change will be the product of a unified effort of all of us. Community organizations, parents, school leaders, teachers, and students must work in concert for change to be successful. In short, the answer to how to address these new stressors for teenagers lies in the power of WE. Join us in this feature as WE begin the work to bring to light the need for and the power of WE.  Watch for a new Student led Suicide Prevention video, as well as an integration of Sources of Strength in various places in our school. One of the sign board endeavors will come on October 5, 2019, WE will be working to create a large EHS group to walk/run in the 18th annual Second Wind Fund walk/run. The Second Wind Fund is a community resource that works to support teens with thoughts of harming themselves. In one simple stroll, WE can speak volumes about the power of WE. #WECANDOTHIS