Utah County elementary students learn to cultivate friendships, prevent bullying at Hope Squad conference

The spirit of hope, kindness and doing good deeds was deeply felt inside Pleasant Grove High School’s auditorium Thursday.

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Members of the Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention group with a presence in schools across the United States, hosted a conference for elementary school students aimed to educate them about kindness, anti-bullying tactics and building resilience.

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Hundreds of students and advisors from elementary schools throughout Utah County joined together for the two-hour event with a focus on building positive relationships to prevent crises and suicides.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other studies, suicide ranks as the eighth leading cause of death in children ages 5-11.

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The CDC also says around 10% of elementary schools report some sort of bullying among their students at least once a week.

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While the data surrounding struggles with mental health, thoughts of suicide and bullying are higher among older students, members with Hope4Utah say prevention and awareness among elementary-aged students is just as important.

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Through a series of presentations, activities and discussion groups, students at Thursday’s conference learned the importance of friendship, inclusion and creating goodwill among fellow classmates.

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“We really want to teach them how to make those friends and how to notice those friends. And as they do that and are kind and stop that bullying, it’ll help lead to less crisis and less suicide,” said Memphis Owen, an office assistant at Hope4Utah’s Provo facility.

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The Pleasant Grove High School Hope Squad, which had the honor of hosting Thursday’s training conference in the school, highlighted the acts of recognizing small, hopeful things in life and being a group that students can talk to.

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Emmie Selph, a senior and member of the Hope Squad at PGHS, said she believes that teaching these skills at a young age will help students carry this knowledge into adulthood.

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“I think it’s so important, especially at a young age, because I know for them too, like it starts young, and bullying for them can be a huge downer and it can affect a lot of kids,” Selph said. “And so, to teach the kids at a young age the message to choose kindness and to spread hope, it’s huge, because then they’ll take that with them the rest of their life.”

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Sami Jo Carson, a health teacher and Hope Squad advisor at Pleasant Grove High School, explained that the goal of the conference was for the younger students in attendance to learn from the high schoolers and take those positive messages back to their own schools, as well as to foster a sense of community and encourage acts of service and friendship.

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Thursday’s event also just so happened to align with the school’s Hope Week.

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Posters and drawings covered walls in the hallways, and yellow streamers hung outside the campus at PGHS that inspire kindness and love.

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The Hope Squad’s efforts also extend into the community, like decorations at the nearby Pleasant Grove Police Department, making Hope bracelets and collecting donations for sick children.

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After the assembly, a handful of Pleasant Grove High School Hope Squad members waved at and greeted drivers at an intersection near State Street and 700 South, holding signs encouraging passersby to honk for hope.

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“The little things matter,” Selph said.

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Similar training events for elementary school students are slated for March 6 at Weber High School in Pleasant View and March 20 at Viewmont High School in Bountiful.

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In the meantime, Owen encourages people to engage with their children, friends and loved ones about their well-being and inspire them to feel comfortable talking about their struggles.

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“There is hope out there. Don’t be afraid to ask your friends how they’re doing,” she said.

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Originally published at https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/2025/feb/21/utah-county-elementary-students-learn-to-cultivate-friendships-prevent-bullying-at-hope-squad-conference/