Most students who attend an Littleton Public School High School (Heritage, Arapahoe, or Littleton) could give you a long list of names of students who attended one of these schools who have committed suicide in the last few years. This has been a problem, however, for decades. Our peers have attended far too many funerals, vigils, and balloon releases to count, and it is getting so repetitive that this seems like a normal occurrence at this point. We are only teenagers. THIS IS NOT NORMAL; THIS IS NOT OKAY. The pain we are all feeling today is unbearable, and something needs to change.

Suicide is the leading cause of death for teenagers in Colorado, and it is getting to be too much for us to handle. 

There is a mental health crisis occurring and we feel as though more needs to be done in addition to current resources available to ensure the safety of our peers. Depression is running rampant through our schools, yet it is being ignored. Many people choose to self medicate because healthy coping mechanisms aren’t discussed openly. This can be a one way street to overdosing or suicide. We are sick of losing our friends, and tired of everything remaining the same when we need help. There are some resources available, but are not widely known about or introduced. Personally, when friends of mine died during the school year, no help or resources were introduced to me or peers whatsoever, school just continued as normal. Death is just one of many hard things to cope with and the school environment would be much healthier if we had more help to deal with these things. In general, mental health needs to be at the forefront of wellness in our community. Free counseling sessions through programs like Second Wind need to be brought up and shown to kids frequently. It is difficult for someone to ask for help, but if help is widely known and discussed it is easier to implement it into one’s life. 

By signing this petition, it will signal interest from the Littleton community to the LPS Board of Education for implementing these mental health resources stated below. I will be presenting these resources and discussing with the Board with the hope of working together, not against LPS to implement these programs. This “petition” will serve as a quantitative measurement of how many people have been impacted by these deaths, but also showing we all want more resources. Remember, this petition may save lives if we accomplish our goal. 

The Brought To Reality (BTR) team has assisted me in finding avenues to make change, connecting me to important people to strengthen our intentions, and are standing behind this effort to destigmatize suicide in our school system. Here is what we want implemented:

These are some comprehensive ideas we will be proposing to the Board of Education. Other additional resources may be added later on as well: 

Many students struggle with depression, anxiety, death, stress, and family issues on a daily basis. These things need to be talked about openly, for we are all experiencing them. Not everyone can afford therapy, so there needs to be somewhere kids can go at school if they are struggling. We need a safe space where peers can connect and discuss their troubles. We will be proposing an “Oasis Room” at every school where students can relax in a calming room with various assets for wellness and talk to a licensed psychologist, peer mentors, and other students when they are having a hard time. Oasis is a student created mental health resource that has been a proven success in other schools such as ThunderRidge, STEM, and Douglas County. It has reached and helped 3,000+ students and has resulted in an observed 71% increase in positive mental health. 
We will also be proposing to have an after school seminar called Life 101 being available to every grade at each school in the LPS district, not just Heritage High School. Life 101 is an after school program that was introduced at Heritage where peers come together in a structured group with specific instructions to work through the troubles of life together and figure out ways to diminish stress. It is a safe space that is very flexible for students that not only strengthens the community but also teaches crucial ways to become a better person while working through your life struggles. It allows many kids to speak up about difficult topics and have a safe space where people can discuss their hardships. I personally benefited heavily from this resource, and others did too.
Some kind of preventative education on early warning signs of suicidal ideation is crucial to destigmatize suicide. There is a common myth that talking about it plants the idea in people’s heads. This is not true; we are already experiencing it, we are already living it. Instead of ignoring the pain, it needs to be faced, and it needs to be talked about before someone else commits suicide. Being taught how we can help a suicidal friend in need is crucial to saving lives. Preventative measures and education are important to create a safer & stronger space for students. Further details on specific education supplements will be added in at a later date. We need to be introduced to more ways we can help ourselves and others in time of need, because it may save lives. IT’S TIME TO BE PROACTIVE, NOT REACTIVE. 

Having multiple places where we can openly talk about mental health will not only destigmatize suicide, but also bring our community together to be stronger and kinder. Things need to change NOW. WE CANNOT LOSE ANYONE ELSE TO SUICIDE. 

Please sign this and share if you agree what has been said and you want these resources implemented in our schools.