Hope Week returns to Caledonia High School this week

Members of Caledonia High School’s Hope Squad were busy in home room and at lunch last week preparing for Hope Week, which begins Monday and runs all week at the school.

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Students and teachers in the club worked together to formulate a schedule that features five dress up days with different themes. The activities kicked off with Music Motivational Monday, when everyone is asked to dress like a musician.

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“For Valentine’s Day (on Friday), we’re going to dress up in red, pink and white, and that will help everyone show their love for others,” senior Ella Shepherd said. “For BETA Club, since people have to dress so nice, one of our themes is ‘Dress Nice, Be Nice.’ It was a challenge (to come up with all of the events), but I feel like it worked out really well, and it was a lot of fun.”

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Shepherd, who is a member of the school’s cross country and track and field teams, was a member of Hope Squad in its first year of existence during the 2023-2024 school year. She said the experience helped everyone prepare a week’s worth of events and activities that will bring the school together for a busy week.

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Senior Charlie Sullivan, who is a member of the boys basketball team, also was involved in Hope Squad last year. He feels the students are making an impact because they are doing things everybody likes.

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“It is great to have the privilege to be voted onto the Hope Squad,” Sullivan said. “That means people notice you and how nice you are to others. It’s a really good thing we’re trying to do, and creating these days was really fun for us because it gets the school more involved and the activities are designed to make everybody happier.”

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Gregory A. Hudnall, a high school principal, created the first Hope Squad in 1998 at Timpview High School in Provo, Utah. The goal of the organization is to reduce self-destructive behavior and youth suicide by training, building and creating change in schools and communities.

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CHS administrators worked with teachers and students to create a chapter after a student from a military family approached faculty members about Hope Squad and its mission based on her experience at her previous school. The goal is to give students as many tools as possible to deal with the challenges of being a teenager.

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Peers select students who are trustworthy and caring individuals to join the Hope Squad. Squad members are trained to watch for at-risk students, provide friendship, identify suicide warning signs and seek help from adults.

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Hope Squad members are not taught to act as counselors, but they are educated on recognizing suicide warning signs and how to properly and respectfully report concerns to an adult. Once invited to be a Hope Squad member, students must get a permission form signed by their parents and attend regular training meetings.

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Library Media Specialist Angela Clark, who also serves as the parent coordinator and the Student Government Association sponsor, said the students saw last year that Hope Squad isn’t just another club but a school-wide initiative to help strengthen the community and educate students about how to care for themselves, to look out for others and to know they’re not alone.

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This year, she said students have worked hard to create posters and videos to help promote Hope Week.

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“Hope Week is about making sure everybody is included, to let every student know they have a friend somewhere, they have someone they can go to in a time of need and that there is always support,” Clark said. “Hope Week also helps create mental health awareness and helps everybody understand everybody is there to support each other.”

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CHS teacher Michele Shepherd said teachers and students built on last year’s experiences and are taking advantage of schedule changes that have allotted more time for everyone to plan and develop ideas.

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“I think it has worked better because we came in knowing what it is and what we wanted it to look like,” Shepherd said. “I already have ideas for next year to make it better. You grow every year.”

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CHS Spanish teacher Ereandy Castillo is in her first year with Hope Squad. She said she has enjoyed working with new people and that she is excited to help Hope Squad grow and to promote mental health.

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“The students who are active members in this program enjoy the activities and monthly meetings,” Castillo said. “They seem interested and eager to spread hope among their peers.

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CHS teacher Jennifer Chapman also is in her first year with Hope Squad. She offered to help because she enjoys building relationships and talking with others.

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“I have seen students in Hope Squad be open, share ideas, thoughts, feelings,” Chapman said. “They are motivated to want to help others in the school as well as in the community. This group is not shy about asking questions or sharing some experiences that they have had or helped someone go through.

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“I think every school should have a Hope Squad. Maybe the mental health signs would decrease and there would be fewer negative signs and sadness in the world today.”

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Originally published online at https://cdispatch.com/news/education-hope-week-returns-to-caledonia-high-school-this-week/