After 2 classmates died by suicide, Gilbert High School students form supportive group
Students at Gilbert High School have come together to build a more welcoming environment after two classmates died by suicide.
Seniors Ben Melody and Adelaide Searles and juniors Allison Fugere and Jack Hackett said their school has resources such as counseling and reminders about help line numbers. But they said they had to do more for mental health after Gilbert lost two students to suicide in recent years: Nolan Clewell, 16, in November 2021, and Henry Owen, 17, in September 2020.
"Nobody was going to do it for us," Melody said.
"We knew this needed to be personal to what Gilbert is," he said. "Our students for our students."
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Members of the group, called Moving Forward, weren't friends with each other before, but they came together after Clewell died, the second student to die by suicide in less than a year. Melody said they wanted people to know they're loved, and they could reach out to someone when they need help.
Searles spoke about Clewell's death and her own mental health struggles at Ames' community conversation about suicide in October. She said then she knew nothing would be the same after he died.
"But I did not know that it could get better," Searles said.
The group was formed to improve mental health by building social connections between students that might not otherwise exist. School cliques had become unhealthy, and the COVID-19 pandemic made it harder to approach new people, Melody said.
Moving Forward has hosted free social gatherings since March. So far this fall, they've had a barbecue at Banford Park in August, a movie and game night and a car smash in September, a bonfire in McFarland Park and Halloween event in October, and a Thanksgiving dinner this month.
Gilbert Community School District said in a news release the September movie night drew in more than 170 students — almost a third of the high school's population. Moving Forward is independent of the school district.
Hackett said he's seen at Moving Forward events people pulling tables together to sit with others. "It's like trying to break an old habit," he said of making friends outside of a person's core group.
But Fugere said it's been nice to see friend groups merge because of Moving Forward. "It takes a lot of courage to go talk to someone new," she added. And Searles said the group has changed students' daily lives as people now go out of their way to help or make connections with someone else.
It's a mental health group, Melody said, "but it's also a good way of living."
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Students lead change
Some adults have helped by donating or being chaperones at events, but students are in charge of the group. The money they raise from merchandise sales and donations covers event costs like games, food and decorations.
Superintendent Christine Trujillo said in the district's news release that Moving Forward "listened to the needs of the kids and they really went the extra mile."
"It wasn’t about just getting kids to an event. They reached out to kids, they got to know the kids’ names, and it was about bringing kids in to say everybody belongs here," she said.
Moving Forward has changed the lives of co-founders and graduating seniors Searles and Melody, too. Searles said it's changed her perspective on a future career. Rather than study business, she wants to help troubled youth as a mentor or children's club leader or become a therapist.
Melody said wants to go to Catholic seminary school instead of studying engineering.
"I fell in love with helping others," he said.
The goal is to keep the group active even after the seniors graduate. Moving Forward can be found on Facebook and on Instagram @movingforward50014.
How to get help
There are several state and national resources for those contemplating suicide, as well as resources for family or friends who may be concerned about a loved one.
Your Life Iowa — call 855-581-8111 or text 855-895-8398 for free 24/7, confidential support. Other resources are available online at yourlifeiowa.org. There also is a live chat function on the website.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — Dial 988 for free 24/7, confidential support in English or Spanish. Other resources are available online at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Foundation 2 Crisis Center — call 800-332-4224 from anywhere in Iowa for free, 24/7 confidential support. Other resources are available online at foundation2.org/services/crisis-center/.
Phillip Sitter covers education for the Ames Tribune, including Iowa State University and preK-12 schools in Ames and elsewhere in Story County. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Gilbert students form mental health group after classmates' suicides
