County student pushes for statewide suicide prevention program
Kheana Nelson may be only 17, but she’s passionate and determined to get her message across. She wants every high school in Missouri to adopt a suicide prevention program, specifically one called Hope Squad.
“Suicide is the third leading cause of death in Missouri for ages 10 to 24, which is just crazy to think about because that’s just so young,” she said. “It’s a global problem, but I just wanted to focus on Missouri before I try and go for global.”
Nelson said current state law requires high schools to teach students about mental health, typically as part of a semester-long health class, but it does not specify suicide prevention.
She believes more focus on suicide is needed.
Finding Hope Squad
Nelson and her twin sister, Anjelia, and their mother, Claudine, moved to the Hillsboro area from southern California in April 2023.
She said one of her family members lost someone to suicide. In addition, she said there were a “string of suicides” at the high school she attended during her freshman and sophomore years in California.
“I actually knew two of the boys,” she said. “One attempted and luckily, he’s still alive, but then his brother ended up taking his own life, and it really just struck us hard.”
As a result, Nelson said, the high school implemented a national program called Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program built around the power of connection. Near the end of her freshman year, she and her sister were both nominated by their peers to be a part of the first group of Hope Squad members.
Nelson said trained advisers lead Hope Squads, and student members are trained to identify at-risk students or behaviors, provide friendships and assist students with seeking help from trusted adults. She said they are trained peer advocates, not counselors.
“We got some of the training done, went to some of the meetings and then we moved,” Nelson said.
Nelson said she mentioned the idea of Hope Squad to Hillsboro High counselors when she first started attending classes there but didn’t push any further that first year. Then, the school’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America gave her the platform she needed.
Erica Huskey, one of the school’s FCCLA advisers, said Nelson shared her desire to start Hope Squads statewide and asked if it could fit anywhere in the FCCLA STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) Events competition. It fit with the Public Policy Advocate category.
“Then we talked about how changing policy in Jefferson City can help affect change in schools,” said Huskey, who described Nelson as one of the most passionate students she’s ever met.
Last semester, Nelson wrote to state representatives Renee Reuter and Ken Waller and outgoing state Rep. Gary Bonacker, asking them to advocate for every school to “adopt suicide prevention programs and encourage healthy conversations about mental health.”
“This could involve proposing legislation, allocating resources and raising awareness,” she wrote.
On Jan. 22, she presented her initiative, which she calls “Life is for Tomorrow,” at the regional FCCLA STAR competition. She will compete at the state level in March and hopes to make it to the nationals in July.
Nelson and her FCCLA advisers, Huskey and Cyndi Heitert, recently met with the high school’s principal, a social worker and a counselor to discuss starting a Hope Squad there, and everyone was supportive.
“We are taking a deeper look at the Hope Squad model,” Principal Mark Groner said on Jan. 23. “We would need to secure some funding and a sponsor.”
He said Hillsboro High School staff members are aware of mental health concerns.
“We have four guidance counselors who push into classrooms to speak with students about a variety of topics, including mental health,” he said. “We also employ a full-time social worker who works directly with students and families to make sure their needs are being met. We also have a full-time Compass counselor at the high school who meets with students regularly.
“Each spring we bring Chad’s Coalition to (the high school) to present their Signs of Suicide program to all our students. Guidance counselors then follow up with any students who are in need of assistance.”
Groner said the district uses ASPEN Network to help screen students who may require counseling, adding that the district monitors all student communication on district Chromebooks and receives alerts if a student writes anything related to self-harm or suicidal ideation.
Superintendent Jon Isaacson said while he has not seen Nelson’s proposal, he is proud of her leadership and advocacy for such an important issue.
“Our school counselors and administration will carefully evaluate her proposal to determine if it complements our current initiatives, aligns with existing programs or addresses areas where we can further enhance our support,” he said in an email. “At Hillsboro, we are committed to ensuring that every student feels supported, heard and valued. A comprehensive support network, ongoing education and open communication are essential in preventing tragedies and supporting student well-being. We are proud to foster a culture where students are empowered to put their learning into practice and advocate for others.”
Missouri has a recent statute that requires districts to adopt strategies for identifying and helping students at risk of suicide, as well as plans for educating staff.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has come up with a model policy for youth suicide awareness and prevention. The model states that students will receive age-appropriate information and instruction on suicide awareness and prevention no later than in the fifth grade. The model, revised in 2022, only serves as a template, or resource, for districts.
Hope Squad’s success
Nelson believes Hope Squad, which is in thousands of schools in the U.S. and Canada, is a good approach that more schools should adopt.
“(It) does teach prevention tactics – how to notice the signs, how to reach out in a way that’s not condemning, not hurtful or shameful,” she said, adding that Hope Squad tries to break the stigma surrounding suicide.
Nelson said what students learn through the program will stick with them the rest of their lives.
“The success of the Hope Squad program in California fills me with hope and optimism about its potential impact in Missouri,” she said.
Nelson said her mom taught her about the power of using her voice.
“I’ve always been a very big advocate. That was kind of drilled into me by my mom. She always told us, ‘OK, if you don’t like something, go change it. If you’re not OK with something that happened, go speak up. You have a voice, go use it … I truly believe, like me personally, God gave me a voice for a reason. I’m going to use it.”
Nelson also uses her voice while serving on a Jefferson County Mental Health Youth Focus Group.
“Kheana is part of a countywide Youth Network that began in December of 2024,” said ASPEN Network Inc. Executive Director Jaclyn Brown. “(The Jefferson County Community Mental Health Fund Board), along with ASPEN and other providers, are part of a countywide initiative to begin a mental health campaign … We began a Youth Focus group with the intent for the youth to guide us and drive a youth-led campaign over a span of two years.
“We are working to include youth from all schools, and Kheana was part of our first youth work group and is helping us move forward in 2025 … During our meeting in December, Kheana was very passionate and had a lot of great ideas to help spread mental health awareness to youth in innovative and new ways that reach that age group.”
After graduation, Nelson said she plans to attend Jefferson College so she can stay close to home and still help with her initiative. Long-term, she wants to earn a nursing degree and work as a nurse with the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Program.
Originally published online at https://www.myleaderpaper.com/news/student-advocates-for-suicide-prevention-program-in-high-schools/article_152cf52e-df51-11ef-b3ca-4f9d5a0d2e11.html
Share
