Week of upcoming activities at GMS will
culminate with Parent Seminar
By Joe Pritchett
Clarion Editor
Glenwood Middle School lost a student to suicide during the 2008-09 school year, and Principal Jill
Larson and representatives from the Lincoln Prairie Behavioral Health Center in Springfield are
working to make students, parents and everyone in the community more aware of the warning signs
involved.
Mostly, they want to get people talking.
"Suicide is the No. 3 killer of children in this age group," stated Tom DeMarco,
Community Liasion for Lincoln Prairie BHC. "Studies show four out of five children who attempt
suicide give some kind of warning signs. The idea is to bring these issues out into the open, and get
people to start talking about them, in the hopes of preventing something like this from happening."
Glenwood Middle School teamed with Lincoln Prairie and the Jason Foundation earlier this spring,
and a parent seminar was held in late April.
Now, during the week of Sept. 14-18, GMS will hold week-long activities at the school, themed
"Celebrate Life Week." Each day will feature a different theme, and the activities will conclude with a
Parent Night on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
This Parent Seminar will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. that night. There will be four topics that
masters level therapists on hand will discuss, two of which can be picked by parents to attend. The
first session will last 30-40 minutes before a break, and then the final session will begin.
Four sessions will run simultaneously in different rooms at GMS, covering these topics: Self-
Esteem, Coping Skills, Support Systems and How to Deal with Loss and Grief.
The idea, DeMarco said, is to have kids coming home from their activities during "Celebrate Life
Week" and talking to their parents, who in turn will want to come to the seminar Sept. 22 to see what
has been going on at school. The sessions at the seminar will mirror the activities and messages
the school will be giving to children during their “Celebrate Life” week.
Parents will be able to pick two sessions to attend, and the evening is completely free of charge
and no registration is required. Those interested should just show up at GMS at 6:30 p.m. on Sept.
22 and pick the two sessions they wish to attend. Childcare will be provided by the Glenwood HS
National Honor Society.
While all the focus of the national media is on epidemics like swine flu or the West Nile Virus,
suicide remains the "silent epidemic," DeMarco stated.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 10-24 in the United States, according to the
Center for Disease and Control. It is the fourth leading cause of death for ages 10-14, and the
second leading cause of death for college-aged youth. Yet, these kinds of facts aren't as publicized in
modern society.
"It's the No. 1 most preventable cause of death," DeMarco stated. "And the way to prevent it is to
educate and talk about it. There's over 100 kids that we know of that commit suicide every week, and
over 5,200 kids a year, just that we know of. And there's many we don't know of."
A partnership between the Ball-Chatham School District and Prairie Heart has been established,
and the district has adapted its curriculum based on input from officials at Prairie Heart, at no cost to
the district. Costs of staff training and materials are underwritten, DeMarco said.
The program is designed for middle and high school aged children, and principles are taught in
Health classes in the district.
"It's very exciting and refreshing how the district has embraced this program," DeMarco added.
"They are by far the most active school district in this area. This is going to be a big event."
School activities the week of Sept. 14-18 will include a Theme Wall on Monday, and culminate with
"Proud to Be a Titan Day" on Friday. Many activities will take place over the lunch hours, with Thursday
being a "surprise" day, according to Larson.
"It's been wonderful working with Lincoln Prairie in this partnership," Larson said. "They are an
excellent resource. And their hospital is in our district (at old Doctors Hospital location)."
culminate with Parent Seminar
By Joe Pritchett
Clarion Editor
Glenwood Middle School lost a student to suicide during the 2008-09 school year, and Principal Jill
Larson and representatives from the Lincoln Prairie Behavioral Health Center in Springfield are
working to make students, parents and everyone in the community more aware of the warning signs
involved.
Mostly, they want to get people talking.
"Suicide is the No. 3 killer of children in this age group," stated Tom DeMarco,
Community Liasion for Lincoln Prairie BHC. "Studies show four out of five children who attempt
suicide give some kind of warning signs. The idea is to bring these issues out into the open, and get
people to start talking about them, in the hopes of preventing something like this from happening."
Glenwood Middle School teamed with Lincoln Prairie and the Jason Foundation earlier this spring,
and a parent seminar was held in late April.
Now, during the week of Sept. 14-18, GMS will hold week-long activities at the school, themed
"Celebrate Life Week." Each day will feature a different theme, and the activities will conclude with a
Parent Night on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
This Parent Seminar will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. that night. There will be four topics that
masters level therapists on hand will discuss, two of which can be picked by parents to attend. The
first session will last 30-40 minutes before a break, and then the final session will begin.
Four sessions will run simultaneously in different rooms at GMS, covering these topics: Self-
Esteem, Coping Skills, Support Systems and How to Deal with Loss and Grief.
The idea, DeMarco said, is to have kids coming home from their activities during "Celebrate Life
Week" and talking to their parents, who in turn will want to come to the seminar Sept. 22 to see what
has been going on at school. The sessions at the seminar will mirror the activities and messages
the school will be giving to children during their “Celebrate Life” week.
Parents will be able to pick two sessions to attend, and the evening is completely free of charge
and no registration is required. Those interested should just show up at GMS at 6:30 p.m. on Sept.
22 and pick the two sessions they wish to attend. Childcare will be provided by the Glenwood HS
National Honor Society.
While all the focus of the national media is on epidemics like swine flu or the West Nile Virus,
suicide remains the "silent epidemic," DeMarco stated.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 10-24 in the United States, according to the
Center for Disease and Control. It is the fourth leading cause of death for ages 10-14, and the
second leading cause of death for college-aged youth. Yet, these kinds of facts aren't as publicized in
modern society.
"It's the No. 1 most preventable cause of death," DeMarco stated. "And the way to prevent it is to
educate and talk about it. There's over 100 kids that we know of that commit suicide every week, and
over 5,200 kids a year, just that we know of. And there's many we don't know of."
A partnership between the Ball-Chatham School District and Prairie Heart has been established,
and the district has adapted its curriculum based on input from officials at Prairie Heart, at no cost to
the district. Costs of staff training and materials are underwritten, DeMarco said.
The program is designed for middle and high school aged children, and principles are taught in
Health classes in the district.
"It's very exciting and refreshing how the district has embraced this program," DeMarco added.
"They are by far the most active school district in this area. This is going to be a big event."
School activities the week of Sept. 14-18 will include a Theme Wall on Monday, and culminate with
"Proud to Be a Titan Day" on Friday. Many activities will take place over the lunch hours, with Thursday
being a "surprise" day, according to Larson.
"It's been wonderful working with Lincoln Prairie in this partnership," Larson said. "They are an
excellent resource. And their hospital is in our district (at old Doctors Hospital location)."
Chatham Clarion
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Issue Date: Sept. 3, 2009