Bainbridge Principal Takes a Stand
This edited letter was sent to parents by Brent Peterson, principal of Bainbridge High School, in September 2003 after the loss of a student to suicide. While the letter is dated, we still applaud his effort to spread the word about signs of depression and steps that youth and others may take to help prevent suicide in their community.
Dear Parents,
As the new principal at Bainbridge High School I would much prefer to have my first letter to all parents focus on a "good news story." Certainly we do have much news to be pleased about in our school community. Great students, amazing parent involvement in our schools, extremely high student participation in extra-curricular activities, high test scores, the list goes on. However, I am compelled to communicate with you at this particular moment in time regarding the issue of youth mental health disorders.
Our community, like every community across this state and across the nation, currently faces extremely challenging mental health issues among our student population. Stress, anxiety, depression, "self-medication", and suicide are all issues right here on Bainbridge Island. During the last two years our school community has been touched by three suicides. If you extend the geographic boundaries to include the North Kitsap School District, the number increases to five. As tragic as these specific incidents have been, the nature of the youth mental health issues in our community touch a much larger population of our students than those who had friendships with the youth who are no longer with us.
At Bainbridge High School we are working to build on past and current efforts to strengthen our student support systems, we are networking with local and regional resources, and we are partnering with individuals and organizations in our community to increase awareness of this issue and provide forums for discussion and dialogue. We will be scheduling specific student activities later this fall that will hopefully communicate support to our students and increase the level of dialogue between students, staff and parents in this area. In addition, we are currently working with school district leaders and community leaders to initiate a series of community events that will include a specific focus on youth mental health issues.
I do believe we can make a difference. I invite you to join us in this important endeavor. I also encourage you to contact any of our school administrators, counselors or our school nurse if your family is currently struggling with any level of mental health issue involving your student.
Sincerely,
Brent Peterson
Principal, Bainbridge High School