Mental health issues impact many teenagers and Sierra Vista High School recognizes the ongoing problem by taking steps to improve their student’s emotional well-being. Creating a “Zen Den” back in the 2022-2023 school year, that offered their students a space to go whenever they felt stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed. The Zen Den is located near the counselor’s office and is very successful with students.
Sierra Vista also offers a program called, “Hope Squad” which is a peer-to-peer support group aimed to improve mental health awareness and suicide prevention for students. Although some students may not feel comfortable going directly to counselors with their mental health issues, Hope Squad allows students to be able to talk to other students and gives them a more comfortable way to express their emotions and it makes seeking help feel less daunting.
Hope Squad was founded in 2004 by a former principal in Provo, Utah, Greg Hudnal following a series of student suicides. He created Hope Squad in hopes of stopping the suicide rates in his community and school by giving his students the mental health help they needed. Hope Squad is now present in thousands of schools throughout the United States and Canada. More than 98% of administrators who have Hope Squad in their schools have stated that the program creates a positive environment for their students. Shayna Segal, Sierra Vista High School counselor and Hope Squad advisor stated, “Hope Squad’s peer-to-peer approach empowers members to intentionally reach out to peers and become instruments of change. I believe it is beneficial to the students of Sierra Vista because it helps them to know that they are not alone and that it is okay to not always be okay. We try to spread positivity and bring a sense of community to Sierra Vista”
Shayna Segal introduced Hope Squad to Sierra Vista in 2022 to help better the school’s mental awareness and because she believed, “it aligned with the Vista values and the One Vista mentality.” Segal first learned about Hope Squad when she was getting her Masters in school counseling, and she was asked to start the program at her previous school. Students who want to become a member of Hope Squad have to be elected by their peers and be interviewed by the advisor, Shayna Segal. Jadee Hawkins (12), who is the club’s vice president and has been a member of Hope Squad since seventh grade stated, “The point of Hope Squad is to better the school community, and build trust among students. So having peers vote for people that they trust reflects this and keeps it at the forefront of the club’s focus. The point of being in Hope Squad isn’t for yourself but to help others, so having the trust of your peers is the first big step to helping make an impact on campus.” To ensure members can help their peers properly, they are trained to recognize warning signs of mental health challenges, they are also trained on how to support their peers and lead them to people who can provide help.
Hope Squad members meet every Tuesday and Thursday during lunch and in those meetings, they learn about confidentiality, self-care, resiliency, and more through lessons prepared by Hope Squad. Shayna Segal, their advisor stated, “I believe the lessons they learn throughout the year help them in their personal lives and help them to share the messages with those around them. Also, I believe having other students that believe in the importance of mental health has a positive impact on their lives.” They also just recently hosted a mental health awareness rally during lunch where they talked about the different mental support our school offers and the way students can access that help. Handing out lanyards and bracelets that said, “You are loved.” Any student who needs someone to talk to can go to Hope Squad members anytime as they are there to give them the support they need.
