A Columbus North High School senior is partnering with Centerstone to create a campaign focusing on suicide prevention.
Hunter Spalding, 17, is creating videos with tips for friends and family to consider when confronted with the possibility that a loved one is contemplating death by suicide.
One of the videos encourages the community to make a difference in the lives of those struggling with mental health issues and possibly contemplating ending their lives. In the video, Spalding’s classmates from North are shown in different locations around Columbus holding signs that have messages about misconceptions about suicide.
There are also positive messages interspersed in the video as messages to those who are struggling, including signs with “You are beautiful” and “You are special.”
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Spalding has created an Instagram page for the project which may be viewed at instagram.com/breakthesilencechns/.
Spalding said the project, which initially began in the spring, is intended to make sure the public is informed about the facts and statistics tied to suicide and how they can help someone in need.
“I knew that I would really make a difference,” Spalding said.
The high school senior also created a survey that was distributed to North students to find out what they know about suicide and to help them become more informed about the topic.
“When people hear the word suicide, it has negative connotations,” Spalding said. “I think it’s the elephant in the room, people don’t talk much about it.”
Spalding is also encouraging the community to have more open discussions about suicide and to recognize the warning signs — anxiety, depression and isolation.
Part of his motivation for selecting suicide prevention as his senior project was in response to three deaths by suicide, all Columbus East High School students. Two Columbus East students died within a week just before the beginning of the 2015-16 school year. Another East classmate died by suicide about 14 months before that.
Centerstone reports that 14 people died by suicide in Bartholomew County in 2017 and the county’s E-911 center received more than 500 suicide-related calls last year.
Spalding, who hopes to study psychology and pre-medicine at Purdue University, is planning a career in psychiatry. He plans to continue his suicide prevention awareness campaign at college, he said.
“The more we talk about it, the more we can make a difference,” he said. “I just want to make sure everyone is happy and comfortable. My main goal is to save one person’s life.”
Spalding’s project is one that stands out, said Jennifer Hester, North senior project coordinator and health teacher.
All seniors in the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. are required to complete a senior project, which allows students to demonstrate that they are an expert learner, Hester said.
“We have a lot of different projects, but I feel this one will have a lasting impact,” Hester said. “This will impact a wide variety of citizens in Bartholomew County.”
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To help Columbus North High School senior Hunter Spalding with his project or learn more about his efforts, e-mail Spalding at 19spaldingh@students.bcsc.k12.in.us.
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