Are You Thinking About Suicide?

I know. It’s a very uncomfortable question to ask. However, it is one that has become normal and necessary in our house. Suicide is something I never thought I would have to worry about. When our daughter was admitted into a mental hospital, on three separate occasions, for having suicidal plans and multiple attempts all within a five month period — including a life flight to Primary Children’s Hospital — suicide and mental health took on a whole new meaning.

After the third stay, she began a long term treatment program. Deciding what to do and where to go was one of the hardest decisions of our life. Mental illness is tough and affects the whole family. The good news though is that the more we open up, the more we discover that mental illness is more common than we ever thought. The more we share and talk about suicide the easier it is to find resources and connect with others. Ganel-Lyn Condie, a Utah author, speaker, and advocate says there are three groups of people: you have or had a mental illness, you love someone who does, or you have lost someone to suicide. Mental illness or suicide can happen to anyone.

You Mean Everything

“Are you okay? Is something wrong? Can I help you?” These are all questions Kevin Hines desperately wanted to hear before jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. He miraculously survived and is now a suicide prevention activist and powerful speaker. As soon as he jumped, he realized what he had done and did everything he could not to die. Most suicide survivors have shared that they immediately regretted their actions. I believe it, because the words my daughter said almost immediately after making a life-threatening mistake were, “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die.”

Life is hard, unfair, and at times excruciatingly painful, but life is also meant to strengthen, teach, and most importantly connect us. We ALL matter. YOU MATTER. Sometimes people feel so deeply hopeless, and erroneously think that death is the answer. Tragically, some people die by suicide. Thinking about or planning on ending life is usually a symptom of underlying problems that can be treated. And there is absolutely help and hope. No one should suffer in silence; talk to someone. It is okay, not to be okay. Happiness is not the absence of adversity. Time is too precious to tease and tempt death. Life is a gift. Your life is a gift. You are a unique, irreplaceable gift. Shared, experienced, and loved, life is rewarding, good, and at times overwhelmingly joyful.

Something to Be Aware of

Suicide is the second leading cause of death nationally in people ages 10-34. Unintentional injuries or accidents is number one1. Utah was ranked 10th in 2020, for number of suicide deaths in ages 5-25 behind Alaska, Montana, South Dakota, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, Idaho, and Kansas (May 2022, Vol. 50 Number 7, Communique [a publication for National Association for School Psychologists]). Why are people afraid to ask for help or talk about feelings? Looking at the states above, maybe there’s some pioneer pride, explorer ego, homesteader honor, or cowboy conceit that needs to be redefined. Starting in the teen years, the risk for suicidal death grows higher as a person grows into early adulthood. People ages 18-25 have the most suicidal thoughts and attempts.

The 2021 Wasatch County School District Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) Survey which is done every 2 years, was completed by 1450 students: 407 6th graders, 401 8th graders, 423 10th graders, and 201 12th graders. 4.6% of the students who answered said they had attempted suicide one or more times during the past 12 months. That’s a staggering 67 Wasatch County middle grade and high school kids — our kids — who have had multiple attempts. And, Wasatch is lower than the state average, which was 7%. 71,001 students across the state took the SHARP survey, 4970 attempted multiple times. 10.1% of Wasatch participants said they made a plan about how they would attempt suicide during the past 12 months. 12.6% said yes to seriously considering attempting suicide during the past 12 months. Thankfully, the percentage diminishes from considering to planning to attempting, but sadly it is still on the minds of many teenagers.

In the book, If Your Adolescent Has Depression or Bipolar Disorder, the authors state that, “For the parents of adolescents with mood disorders, the biggest fear of all may be suicide… Over 90% of suicide victims have a psychiatric illness at the time of their death, and mood disorders are among the main culprits. All too often, the disorders had gone undiagnosed or untreated. Many suicides in young people seem to be impulsive acts triggered by a stressful event, such as getting into trouble at school or with the law, breaking up with a girlfriend or boyfriend, or having a fight with friends.  These events might not be sufficient in themselves to cause suicidal behavior, but when the stress is compounded by untreated depression or mania, the results can be tragic. In fact, mood disorders play a role in about two-thirds of completed suicides.” (If Your Adolescent Has Depression or Bipolar Disorder, Evans, Dwight, and Linda Andrews, p. 55-56, 2005)

Nothing to be Ashamed Of

Utah has the highest percentage of mental illness, at 29.68% followed by Oregon, West Virginia, Kansas, Oklahoma, Washington, Idaho, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Arizona. It’s not easy to admit something is wrong or you need help but the brain is susceptible to disease just like any other organ or part of the body. Recognizing signs and understanding mental illness is important because many suicides happen during the first few episodes; before treatment with medication, therapy, and coping skills are learned.  Knowing that hopeless, painfully dark thoughts and emotions will eventually pass is important. In a world of split-second messages, quick searches with immediate answers, fast food, and even instant potatoes (being an Idaho native I think the real thing is much better) enduring is a tough thing to sell. Our daughter explained, “Suicidal ideation doesn’t belong to a specific lifestyle. I myself felt rather selfish for feeling this way because to me there was nothing to feel sorry for. When I realized that anyone can feel this way things started to change, and I finally (hesitantly at first) decided to seek out help.” Recognizing and getting professional treatment early for any mental illness is not a sign of weakness. Kevin Hines likes to say, “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”.

Dr. Ben Springer, Wasatch County School District’s school psychologist sums it all up “To me, prevention is connection. The best prevention we can do, whether it’s suicide, alcohol, drug abuse, addressing mental health, depression, aggression, anything, you name it. We see aggression in our schools and in communities. The more we connect with families and one another, the more we can talk and open up those channels for support.”

We were given valuable information from acquaintances and friends who had experienced their own crises. They shared professional opinions that helped us make a decision about what our next step should be for our daughter. We have many more neighbors, friends, and family, who continue to offer love and support.

Hope is just one person away. If you are struggling mentally or emotionally, find a trusted family member or friend that will listen, validate, and help you get professional help. If you are in a situation where you are not in a safe place or feel that you do not have anyone who will help you, please call one of the hotlines or places listed. They are caring professionals that will listen to you and have resources if you need additional help. If it’s an emergency call 911. Helping someone is just one question away. If you have anyone tell you that they are struggling, don’t be afraid to ask the hard or uncomfortable questions.

Let’s look out and watch for clues that people are struggling and let them know they are loved and not alone.  We are blessed to live in an amazing and majestic valley with beauty all around but the most awe-inspiring asset we have is each other.

Suicide Warning Signs and Risk Factors

•   Threatening to hurt or kill themselves
•   Seeking to access pills, weapons, or other ways to kill themselves
•   Expressing hopelessness, no purpose
•   Having rage, anger, or seeking revenge
•   Acting recklessly or engaging in risky activities, without thinking
•  Feeling trapped
•   Drug or alcohol use
•   Withdrawing from friends or family
•   Dramatic change in mood, for better or worse
•   Sleeping all the time or unable to sleep
•   Anxious or agitated
•   Giving away possessions, making “final arrangements”
•  The recent suicide or death of a friend or relative
•   Previous suicide attempts
•   Preoccupation with themes of death or expressing suicidal thoughts
•  Depression, conduct disorder and problems with adjustment such as substance abuse, particularly when two or more of these are present
•   Sudden and extreme changes in eating habits/losing or gaining weight
•  Apathy about appearance or health
•   Frequent irritability or unexplained crying
•   Lingering expressions of unworthiness or failure
•   Lack of interest in the future
•   A sudden lifting of spirits, when there have been other indicators, may point to a decision to end the pain of life through suicide

Try these simple tips for talking

Innovative, Discovery based, Educational, and Agricultural Leadership or I.D.E.A.L. Farms is Wasatch High School’s hands-on, outdoor classroom. Wasatch is taking students outside and getting their hands dirty in the real world; teaching them the skills they need to thrive in our competitive industries and markets. Not only do they do the physical work, they’re learning the business and marketing skills to drive it all forward.

Stepping into teacher and FFA Advisor, Matt Zierenberg’s, vision for their class is like finding yourself in a hive humming with productivity. Students are the integral piece to the creation of I.D.E.A.L Farms. On less than an acre of the school’s property the students have constructed a little complex of outdoor learning. Adults guide, but it is the kids’ elbow grease and innovation pushing it all forward. The space may be small, but the output is impressive.

The I.D.E.A.L. Farms’ land is home to: a native plant nursery, a game bird brooding shed and flight pen, a fruit orchard, vegetable grow boxes, an agricultural animal teaching and housing area, and an aquaponics greenhouse. Each of the six areas represents an ‘enterprise’; and they each provide scholarships for students. Students may apply and interview for a spot within the program. All students are welcome and invited to join in the classes; however, only those who receive placement are given responsibility for their enterprise for the year and are guaranteed a scholarship provided by the earnings of their venture. Sophomore, Chevelle Lundin, after working a year with the native plants says, “I enjoy this and it’s also beneficial for my future! That’s perfect!”

Working closely with sponsors and volunteers this outdoor classroom is not only a real-time leaning lab, it is a launch pad for students monetarily. This year’s goal is to provide a minimum of ten $2,000 scholarships to further the education of participating students. Zierenberg acknowledges, “It’s ambitious. I think we’ll get there; mainly with the trees, the game birds, and the aquaponics.” The key is that students are required to be active and stay active in an enterprise.

Spring Creek Conservation owners, Gifford Hickey and Liz Lewis, are instrumental in monetary funding, donations of supplies, and educating students from the ground up on both the nursery and orchard projects at I.D.E.A.L Farms. The orchard should be producing in about three years – watch for apples and cider sells in 2025! Zierenberg enthusiastically shares, “They (Hickey and Lewis) have been helping the kids set all of this up! They are a huge, huge help!” In talking to Gifford and Liz, it is obvious they are invested in the students. They get down and dirty planting and working together.  Hickey and Lewis know all the students’ names and stories, and they mentor students in both the horticulture and business portions of the projects. They stand behind the motto and passionately teach students, “Conservation is good business.” They are key participants in the interview process for student applicants. Additionally, Hickey is forming an advisory board for I.D.E.A.L Farms and will be seeking out and organizing community volunteers on every level of involvement.

Students running the native plant portion of the farm have contracts with our local Division of Wildlife Resources, Wasatch Mountain State Park, and the Forest Service. Mr. Z and Spring Creek Conservation also teach the art of propagation. Students take cuttings from the areas on the forest they are working in, bring them back to the school nursery to establish new plantings, and then return to plant in the restoration site. They currently have a large project underway for the Shoshone Tribe in Idaho. You can purchase native plants for your own conservation and landscaping projects Friday and Saturday afternoons on 600 South near the football field. While you’re there visit their demonstration garden where students showcase the use of native plants and trees. This season, they’re hoping to surpass last year’s native plant sales of $15,000.

Heavily sponsored by Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, students have raised and released about 2,500 Chukar game birds in the Heber Valley over the past five years. Eggs are incubated in the classroom. Once hatched the chicks go to the brooding shed and the flight pens. The farm’s relationship with the Division of Natural Resources makes this project a solid enterprise with a good return.

I.D.E.A.L. Farms’ green house is a sight to behold. Students have been hard at work creating, building, and improving their aquaponics system. Fun fact: they actually use trout they raise to fertilize the plants they grow. The plants use the waste of the fish, and the water cleaned by the plants is pumped back to the fish. The whole cycle starts over again. Extra fish propagated in the system are released into our local Midway pond. The greatest thing is that the greens raised in the aquaponic system are purchased by local restaurants. Students co-created an aeration system collaborating with fellow Wasatch High School students involved in the Center for Advanced Professional Studies or CAPS program.  Together, the agriculture students worked with engineering students to design a water aeration device; they 3-D printed their invention at the school and use it in their aquaponics system. The innovative design and collaboration is extremely impressive.

The animal housing area provides a place for students to keep up to 20 sheep in preparation for the county fair. There is also a holding pen for animals to be brought in for educational purposes during a teaching day. Not far from the animals are large grow boxes. Student applicants can be awarded two grow boxes for the year. The grow boxes kick out loads of produce to be sold at the local farmer’s market. Senior, Liz Sweat, Director of Sales and Marketing, keeps Instagram up to date on all the happenings. Be sure to check out their website and social media, or better yet go visit I.D.E.A.L Farms and talk to a student on site.

Hickey and Lewis founded their company 30 years ago here in the Heber Valley. “We built a business restoring rivers and doing mitigation on open lands in the state of Utah for the Federal and State government. Our business is native trees, shrubs and forbs.” They also contract with high-end resorts and golf-courses in native landscape and conservation projects. Their work spans to the Falkland Islands and Chile doing large-scale restoration work through small grants to locals interested in business. This local business, with an international presence, is fostering the same kind of work here with our kids in our very own community. However, they can’t do it alone. Whether you’re interested in volunteering your time, business or production knowledge, resources, or funds, come take a peek at the infrastructure of the program.

Liz Lewis and Gifford Hickey
riogaucho@msn.com

SPRINGCREEK CONSERVATION
PO Box 895
Midway, Utah. 84049
654-5145

The Wasatch Education Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization.

When you buy from I.D.E.A.L Farms 50% of your purchase is a tax-deductible contribution. Revenue raised will go directly to educational scholarships and an endowment fund that will sustainably carry forward the program at I.D.E.A.L. Farms.

For more information visit:

ideal-farms.org, and /Wasatch IDEAL Farms 

Last fall, 489 registered voters responded to a community survey issued by Y2 Analytics. All results can be found on the FSP website (futureschoolsproject.com). The question is not if we will need more schools, but why, where, when, and most importantly how. One key finding from the survey showed that Wasatch County residents find fiscal responsibility (91%) and transparency (87%) “very important”.

According to the FSP website, “The Wasatch School District administration and Board of Education are committed to a master planning process that prioritizes listening to parents, students, and community members. Our Master Planning Goals are: Be innovative and forward-thinking as we plan for growth, Ensure that students reach their personal goals and become productive contributing members of society, and create solutions that are efficient and financially responsible.”

The FSP is a simple concept yet has detailed steps and multi-involved phases that have been taking place since September 2021. Phases include: gathering information, generating options, reviewing with the public, and finally the master plan draft presentation at the school board meeting on April 21, 2022. As part of community engagement, three committees were formed to help consult, frame, and direct this process; an educators committee (teachers and administrators), an advisory committee (elected officials of local jurisdictions and leaders of community organizations), and a steering committee (constituents selected by school board and district administrators). The FSP team has tried to give the community as many opportunities as possible to voice opinions, share ideas, and ask questions. There have been surveys, neighborhood meetings, and a special website with a place to “join the conversation”. It is always possible to email or call board members and district personnel. Contact information can be found at wasatch.edu.

Part of the process also included an assessment, completed in December-January, of current school buildings and facilities. The project team analyzed safety and maintenance issues; and explored whether or not buildings were meeting the education visions gathered from the prior input of the committees.

Building “Bridges” to Future Schools

This project comes on the heels of the 2019 bond failure.  It was an emotional campaign with frustration and passion from both proponents and objectors. The final outcome showed 57% voting against and 42% in favor.

Superintendent Paul Sweat explains, “The Future Schools Project is the Board of Education’s response to the community asking to be more involved in the planning process, as well as to the rapid growth that we are experiencing in Wasatch County and within the District. Based on continual updates from District Staff, they know our buildings are at — or over — capacity, and we are in need of a long-range plan to address the growth, which shows no signs of slowing down, based on data from local agencies gathered by our demographers, Davis Demographics.”

Findings from the community survey referenced above, show how growth and education are perceived in the valley. 67% believe that the county is growing “much too quickly” along with 82% agreeing that public education is “very important to the health of a community”. Community involvement is also “very important” to 67% of those who participated in the survey.

Sweat reflects, “It’s been eye-opening to see the engagement and enthusiasm for the process from within our District and throughout the community. We’ve long heard that our constituents want to become involved in our District; now they are actively participating in the process through committees and community meetings. Our visits to school staff meetings were very productive in gathering information for us to share with our consultant team, GSBS Architects, and allowed teachers and staff to candidly share their thoughts and concerns.”

April: Enroll in Civil Engagement 101

Although much has happened in the past six months, the next two months are even more crucial and exciting. All the effort and hard work will culminate at a public open house on April 7th. A final master plan draft will be shared at the school board meeting on April 21st. Look for details to be announced soon on the district website (wasatch.edu) or the Wasatch County School District’s Facebook page.

“The Open House on April 7th will provide the public with an opportunity to view the recommendations from GSBS, which will incorporate the information they’ve gathered during their months-long process. It will be a chance for folks to weigh in on the possible next steps in addressing growth within our District,” says Sweat.

Lindsey Ferrari, the public outreach consultant for GSBS Architects, explains, “This master planning process is designed to identify the public’s vision and values for education through a set of guiding principles; assess how the district’s facilities and buildings are performing now and how they will perform with future growth projections; then give the public some options for addressing growth based on the public’s vision.  Those options will be presented to the public for feedback at the open house in April and through other various methods such as the District website and smaller group meetings.  It’s important for residents to get involved in April and let the school board and consultant team know which options they want to accept as a community.” Ferrari continued by stating, “I’d also like to add that the master plan will not dictate where and what a new school or expansion might look like, but rather when the board should consider taking action based on pre-determined milestones regarding growth or building condition. So the public should be on the same page as to when and how the District will address growth.”

Just like a high school graduate that made it through those tough and fun teenage years, the future holds many possibilities and educational options for Wasatch County. Now is the time to take the opportunity to be a part of the vision and decision-making process for future schools. The next few weeks will advance the goal of addressing and managing growth and education in positive and intentional ways.

Sweat concluded by stating, “It’s crucial for our community to know we are working diligently to ensure our learning environments will provide the best possible achievement outcomes for the students of Wasatch County. Whether that takes the form of updated or new buildings will be determined by the FSP process and our much-anticipated Facilities Master Plan.”

Learn more and get involved FUTURESCHOOLSPROJECT.ORG