From loss to leadership: Mona Shores students carry Hope Squad’s mission

Every Tuesday, students at Mona Shores High School wear T-shirts that serve as a sign of safety and a promise to listen.

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They belong to the school’s Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program that started four years ago.

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“We were voted onto it by our peers and our classmates, and they see us as trustworthy, caring, kind,” senior Elena Reister said. “That’s an honor, and we just want to be good people to them and be good listeners.”

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Reister and fellow senior Madelyn Warren were both chosen as freshmen. They are known to their peers as someone to call or talk to about mental health.

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Along with the honor comes pressure to perform.

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“Suicide is a very big thing, and we’re helping prevent that, which is really serious,” Warren said. “But I think we had the proper trainings … those really helped us know what to do in certain situations.”

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The school has wrap-around services, like be nice., but also offers QPR training: Question, Persuade, Refer. It empowers students to ask direct questions that might feel uncomfortable but can save lives.

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“It’s important to ask the hard questions, even though it’s uncomfortable,” Reister said. “Just making it more normal to ask, like, ‘Hey, have you ever thought about suicide?’ A lot of the times, that’s what someone needs to hear.”

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The program began in 2021 after a Mona Shores student died by suicide. The family, determined to spare others the same pain, funded the start of Hope Squad.

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“That family felt very strongly that we get help and support for our students,” said Shannon Clawson, a history teacher and Hope Squad advisor.

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Students in Hope Squad are easy to spot. They wear their T-shirts every Tuesday and put a lifesaver symbol on their backpacks.

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Clawson says she’s already seen change.

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“I just think it’s one of those things that helps destigmatize mental illness, depression, anxiety,” she said. “Our students are more accepting, and they’re also more aware and have more compassion.”

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For Reister and Warren, the mission is personal. Both recently lost someone they know to suicide. They say their training helped them support the family through grief and reminded them why these conversations matter.

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“Everybody deals with mental health,” Warren said.

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“It’s OK to not be OK, and it’s OK to reach out to your trusted friends and family when you’re feeling sad,” Reister added.

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As seniors, they will soon graduate, but they hope the message lasts long after they walk across the stage.

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Originally published at https://www.woodtv.com/news/muskegon-county/from-loss-to-leadership-mona-shores-students-carry-hope-squads-mission/