The mid-day death by suicide of a 15-year-old sophomore girl on the Desert Vista High School campus Oct. 27 has left students shocked and the broader community mourning.
While a modified lockdown was imposed at Desert Vista for several hours last Friday to address immediate emergency needs, the Tempe Union High School District administration began directing an array of counseling resources to the campus to help traumatized students and staff.
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Beyond the campus, parents took to social media with expressions of shock and sympathy in the wake of the teen’s death from a fatal plunge from a second-floor balcony.
Adults and students held a prayer vigil Saturday evening and others brought flowers to the campus over the weekend.
The school canceled the homecoming dance that was scheduled Saturday on the Desert Vista campus. Desert Vista Principal Stacy White sent a letter to parents late Friday urging them to talk with their children and reassure them that they are safe and secure.
The district’s other five schools each sent at least two certified professionals who are not assigned to classrooms to Desert Vista to fill in for shaken teachers who needed counseling.
The death was the second on-campus suicide by a Tempe Union student in eight years. In 2015, a senior fatally shot himself at Corona del Sol.
The Desert Vista death was the second suicide involving a 15-year-old girl in the Valley. About a month ago, a Xavier High School sophomore took her life.
Tempe Union over the weekend issued a statement in the wake of the Desert Vista death that said:
“The Tempe Union HS District and Governing Board were deeply saddened by the death of a Desert Vista student this past weekend.
“Desert Vista’s crisis team, as well as the District’s crisis response team and key community partners such as CARE7 will be on campus this week to help students and staff affected by this loss. Specific information on how to access these resources will be released to the DV community directly via email.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of this student. We know our entire Desert Vista community is devastated by this loss and we encourage anyone who needs it to seek support.”
Among the professionals working with students and staff are counselors from both Desert Vista and the district, the City of Tempe’s Care7 service and its manager, Maria Gonzalez, Tempe Union Social Emotional Wellness Coordinator Ron Denne Jr. and the district’s safety director, Charles Cobb.
Additionally, the entire City Care7 crisis team was on call as needed.
The district has developed a deep working relationship with Tempe’s Care7, a 24/7 service that provides crisis intervention, victim assistance, social-emotional support for youth, services for veterans and community referrals.
District leadership also was expected to be on campus most of the week.
Four top district administrators also rushed to Desert Vista Friday to provide additional support as the high school’s staff tried to calm distraught students and coworkers.
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“We aren’t qualified mental health professionals, of course, but just trying to provide extra support to admin team so they can focus as needed on caring for students, staff, and themselves, frankly,” one district sources said, adding:
“All four of them were at the scene in some capacity or another, and it was a disturbing thing to see.”
Tempe Union has been a leader in suicide prevention and awareness for over four years.
Governing Board President Armando Montero championed the need to add more counseling services to address student mental health when he was a student leader at Desert Vista before graduating in 2019 and getting elected to the board the following year.
The district has added more counselors to high school staffs over the last few years as well.
Tempe Union also was one of the first districts in the Valley to put the Teen Life crisis hotline number on one side of all students’ ID cards. Teen Lifeline maintains a 24/7 hotline 365 days a year.
And the information on those ID cards is not just for the students, said Katey McPherson, a Chandler educator and longtime advocate for more mental health services for young people.
“This isn’t just for kids,” she said. “Parents and educators can use it as well.”
She noted the nationwide suicide hotline number 988 also serves as a “warm line” that is not just for kids in crisis.
There are other nonprofits that also specifically focus on the mental health of children and teens, include notMYkid
and EMPACT La Frontera.
Teen suicides and the mental health of young people have been a concern of many public health officials in the Valley and across the country for several years.
That concern soared during and after the pandemic-driven campus closings, which experts said intensified feelings of isolation and loneliness among young people.
Last year, Teen Lifeline cited the most recent biannual Youth Risk Behavior Report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that said at least one in three high school students reported they experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year that interfered with their regular activities—a 40% increase since 2009.
In that same report, Arizona high school students reported the third-highest levels of feeling sad or hopeless compared among all states.
Almost half of female students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and nearly 70% of students with same-sex partners report the same feelings.
In 2019, approximately one in six students reported making a suicide plan during the preceding year – a 44% increase since 2009.
The CDC in February reported, “Teen girls are experiencing record high levels of violence, sadness and suicide risk.”
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Its data showed three out of every five teen girls “felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021 – double that of boys and representing a nearly 60% increase and the highest level reported over the past decade.”
“Girls fared worse than boys across nearly all measures,” the CDC said.
Added Dr. Kathleen Elder, director of the CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health:
“Young people are experiencing a level of distress that calls on us to act with urgency and compassion. With the right programs and services in place, schools have the unique ability to help our youth flourish.”
One of the main culprits in this distressing increase is social media, the CDC said in the same report.
“On a more practical level, the best place to start is acknowledging this is difficult,” McPherson said. “Losing a friend or fellow classmate no matter how well you knew them symbolizes the loss of a community member and that’s what schools are – learning communities, where kids are wildly connected.”
She said all parents should engage in “small talks in the car, at dinner, two-to-three-minute conversations asking how things are and not pressing for information are key.
“Listening, empathy, and validation are a powerful trifecta,” McPherson said. “Kids want to talk and sometimes on their terms. This is their life. Allow it. Invite it.
“If your child’s behavior begins to change drastically or you are noticing subtle signs of withdrawal or isolation, stay focused on the frequency and try to maintain communication,” she advised.
“Having your child drink water will keep the brain balanced and at baseline when it is stressed. If the decline continues, do not wait to seek professional help.
“‘Good mental health’” isn’t all ‘good’ days,” McPherson said. “It ebbs and flows and the gold is in recognizing when your body and mind need an outlet and rest.
“The weather has broken and it’s an amazing time to be in nature, moving our bodies, connecting with others, and healing from a difficult time.”
Where to find help
• Teen Lifeline: 602-248-8336
• EMPACT: 480-784-1500 or 1-800-205-5229
• Child Crisis National Suicide Prevention Life Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• Mercy Maricopa Crisis Hotline: 602-222-9444
• Care 7: 480-350-8004
Source: https://t-tees.com
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