Cherokee County Schools launch initiative to tackle teen suicide rates

CHEROKEE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A high school in Cherokee County kicked the school year off with an all-new initiative to fight back against teen suicide rates.

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Staff at Gaffney High School introduced “The Hope Squad”. It involves a team of forty students who can alert an adult when one of their peers is showing signs of distress.

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Students are nominated to the program and receive basic mental health training.

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“I think adults who are in the building are sometimes intimidating for our students. So, by reaching out and making it available to one another, and spreading the word is the key to that because one life lost is too many,” said Gaffney High School Principal Dr. Eric Blanton.

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School leaders told 7NEWS the initiative is crucial after losing two of their students to suicides ahead of the 2021-2022 school year.

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Laura Blanton helped kick the program into action at Gaffney High School, and currently serves as the program coordinator for The Hope Squad.  

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“The idea is that students are more likely to talk to their peers than anyone else about their problems. And those students who are in the Hope Squad are trained to talk to their friends about getting the help they need to prevent suicide attempts,” said Blanton.

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The Hope Squad is in its pilot stage at Gaffney High School. Principal Dr. Eric Blanton explained that if all goes as planned, all Cherokee County schools will have something similar in place later this year.

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