Students, staff educated on warnings signs

Wellington High School held a suicide prevention training for students and staff Jan. 22.

The goal was to educate students and staff on the warning signs and how best to react.

“We’ve had two students commit suicide in the past two years, so this has been a difficult reality for us,” said Tina Drake, principal at Wellington High. “I felt it necessary to do something like this, because of what has sadly occurred these last couple of years.”

Drake said she scheduled the event based on the recommendation of the Lorain County Board of Mental Health.

“I’ve been working with them on how to best go about things,” she said. “We had a student commit suicide in September, and it was recommended to wait a certain period of time after the tragedy before we did a suicide educational event.

“This is something, however, I feel we as a school need to have, and I’m confident the students will respond to it.”

Drake said it’s important for students to know behaviors of those who might commit suicide and bring them to the attention of faculty.

“Some students might be afraid of telling a teacher, because they feel their friend might get mad at them,” she said. It’s OK for students to tell someone that they’re worried.

“We are here to do what’s best for the student and it’s much better than keeping it to yourself. You are doing your friend a huge favor by telling someone, even if your friend doesn’t think so now.”

Elizabeth Casali, school therapist for Applewood Centers in Elyria, wanted to inform the students of

the warning signs of suicide.

“This has been a difficult couple of years for Wellington and other schools across the nation,” Casali said. “We need to talk to students now so we can do our best to prevent students ending their own lives.

“That’s why they need to know what their friends might do in the early stages so we can prevent this from happening.”

Casali told the students suicide warnings come in the form of behavioral changes.

“Students should tell someone if they notice someone doing something out of character,” she said. “Maybe they are involved in a club at school and all of a sudden lose interest in that activity.

“Suicidal warnings also manifest themselves if someone gives items away that previously held value to them. There’s no exact thing, but students should be open with their friends and faculty if they notice something has changed.”

“That is the best way to show you care about that individual, and you could save their life,” Casali said.