OHS Recognized for Suicide Prevention Effort

The Youth Suicide Prevention Program of Washington State has named Orting High School as a 2009-2010 winner of the Trevor R. Simpson Award.   The award - named in honor of Trevor Simpson who died by suicide in 1992 at the age of 16 - recognizes the efforts of two schools in the State of Washington (1 with an enrollment of 1,000 or more and 1 with an enrollment of less than 1,000 students) that designed and implemented exemplary youth suicide prevention campaigns.  

Orting High School counselor, Leon Matz, has provided leadership for suicide prevention activities at the school since YSPP began supporting campaigns in 2002.  Because of budget cut-backs YSPP staff has not able to directly support school campaigns in Pierce County for the past two years, but Leon and team carried on anyways.   This past school year Leon and 15 students conducted twelve classroom presentations that directly taught 330 7th and 9th grade students how to recognize the warning signs in a friend and how to get help.  They declared February 8th through the 12th as Suicide Prevention Week, creating bulletin announcements for all staff and students to hear, writing articles for the city and school newspapers, and placing an “advertisement” on the school’s reader board.   The week following the classroom presentations a student made contact with Leon and expressed concern about a friend who he thought might be suicidal.  There couldn’t be any greater evidence that their efforts make a difference. 

The Trevor R. Simpson Award comes with a check for $500.  In the next month YSPP will present Orting High School with the trophy and check.   The students and their advisor – Leon Matz – are being recognized for a job well done.