2020 was a year filled with surprises, and one pandemic later almost no one can say they have come out unfazed. HR is no different, as the student body, staff, and administration have watched six Ranch students be taken from us in a variety of unthinkable ways. From suicides to illnesses, these deaths have left everyone missing a classmate, friend, or family member.

Mental health week was started by four junior girls at HR. “We started mental health week because we all reached out to administration and wanted to make a change against the stigma of mental health at our school,” said Lauren Thompson, head of the committee.

As far as goals for mental health week, Lana Robison, junior and part of the mental health committee, said, “We have multiple goals for this week, but ultimately we really want every student to open their eyes to mental health.”

Suicide is a major issue in the United States. In fact, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2019 alone, 47,511 people took their own life out of an estimated 1.38 million attempts, according to American Foundation for Suicide prevention. 

“We are trying to spread awareness by having students run it. Students are more likely to listen to other students’ voices,” said Erin Feeley. In some cases accessibility to talk about mental health is something that can be found missing in schools. Nationwide there is an average of 455 K-12 students for every one student counselor, according to EdSurge. 

Mental Health Week looks to bring awareness to this issue, with dress up days, videos from teachers and counselors, and even more little changes throughout the day such as music during passing periods and snacks set out in the hall. 

“This is going to become a yearly thing. Since we are all juniors, we will be here to do another mental health week as seniors,” said Bryce Greenwood. The group hopes to pass the tradition down to more students after they graduate to make sure students at HR have at least one week to remind them that their mental health matters and should be fought for.

Nathan Kuhta, Social Media Editor