Dear Reader,
As the first issue of the year lands at the end of September, it arguably hits the busiest month of the school year. The first month of school sports, homecoming week, childhood cancer awareness month, Hispanic heritage month, and suicide prevention month all fall in September.
For me, September always weighs a little heavier than the rest. The month is dedicated to remembering lives lost and to acknowledging the communities that have been impacted by suicide. The world gets thirty official days from the 1st to the 30th to mourn and commemorate those who have been forced to understand the complexities of losing a classmate, friend or sibling.
I have covered suicide prevention month three years in a row in The Free Press. Every year, our goal has been to educate and inform the community on potential signs and the ripple effect of suicide.
But this year, I wanted things to be different. My fellow editors and I worked hard to ensure that the topic was thoroughly discussed. From the creative cover to the in-depth story on students impacted to the back cover displaying hundreds of emotions and feelings, I hope this year is different for readers. I hope it hits harder and makes you stop to think. I hope it hits hard enough that discussion will arise.
Making this issue was one of the hardest challenges I have had thus far in journalism. The interviews, voices and stories I listened to were far from easy to digest. Reporting over this topic left me melancholic and drained—but maybe that means we’re doing it right. Maybe it means we’ve reached a new level of transparency in our community and that reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
From warning signs to brave students, I implore you to read within the stories. I hope that you can gain a larger understanding of the severity of this issue and how, no matter how well you know someone, you will never know what you’re going through. Most of all, I urge you to check in on those around you: your math partner, a distant classmate, a teammate or a teacher. Don’t let it be too late.
No one who knows you wants to know a world without you in it.
If you or a loved one are experiencing thoughts of death, call 988 or visit the Free State High School Student Support Team.
