One Student, One Life at a Time by Haley

One Student, One Life at a Time by Haley - September 2017 Scholarship Essay

My sophomore year, I took human relations. As a sophomore, I had no idea my rapidly growing brain could get so much out of a semester class. I had the best teacher and mentor I could ask for, Deb Haynes. She taught our class of 21 to be compassionate, empathetic, and caring human beings. I will never forget the bonds I made in the class, how it made me see people differently, and how it gave me a drive to fix society.

The structure of human relations was very unique, we all sat in a circle and started out every class with sharing how we were doing. Unlike typical teenagers, we were honest and went into depth with each other. While learning a lot about mental illnesses, abuse, and suicide, Mrs. Haynes would initiate group discussions that didn’t just scratch the surface of who we were, but allowed us to be raw with one another. My perspective of my classmates throughout the semester changed dramatically. The kid that always showed up late, got in trouble for several fights and was kicked out of class multiple times, also had one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

My human relations class was a safe place for all of us, but unfortunately our whole school was not a safe place. On October 16, 2015, our student body lost Jeremiah Parret to suicide. Needless to say, the hearts of our school were all shattered. As we individually broke, our relationships grew stronger. As a school, we started focusing more on the bonds we had with each other, and being more gentle with our words and actions. Anger resided in those who felt that they should have recognized the signs and symptoms of suicide, and regret haunted those who felt they could have done something. Our class had been taught to know the signs and symptoms of a suicide before it happens, however, that wasn’t common knowledge among the rest of the 1,300 students we shared hallways with.

The summer following Jeremiah’s death, a couple friends and I were invited by Mrs. Haynes to a suicide prevention program called “You Are Not Alone”. I fell in love with the program and found that it could substantially change the stigma of suicide. The truth is, people do not like to talk about suicide, for it makes us uncomfortable. In order to have the ability to recognize who is suffering of suicidal thoughts, we must address suicide and be open as a community to learning about it. As students of a suffering, grief-stricken school, we decided to adopt YANA and present it to WHS. As soon as YANA was brought to our school, it grew rapidly and became a widely known program throughout our whole school district. We have trained thousands of students to recognize the signs of suicide, and to know what to do when faced with one.

If it wasn’t for Mrs. Haynes and her human relations class, I’m not sure that Wasilla High School would have a “You Are Not Alone” program. Her class taught me to be more caring of not only the people I am close with, but also strangers. Education isn’t only about learning. It also includes a social obligation, and it places you into a whole new community of peers. Because I was taught to be more compassionate and spread kindness, I am working towards a teaching degree so that I can teach my students all of the important things that Mrs. Haynes taught me.