On Friday, students and staff at Hamilton Heights High School traded in their orange and brown for yellow to show their support for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
ASK (ACTIVE, SUPPORT AND KINDNESS mental health awareness and Suicide Prevention Club), sponsored by Spanish teacher Jane Shields and Hamilton Heights Youth Assistance advocate Mary Ann Haymaker, encouraged students and staff throughout the corporation to participate by wearing yellow. At the high school, those who wore yellow were served lemonade at lunch.
ASK members Lindsay Hilliard and Jenn Houser serve lemonade at lunch to Jane Pache and Ady Mathews. (Photo provided)
Mary Ann Haymaker said, “This activity is an example of another collaborative effort to show unity in our schools and how we can raise awareness and support each other.”
“It’s a simple way we can help create a positive school climate while promoting a safe, caring environment,” added Jane Shields, who was pleased to see so many in yellow. “We’re working to encouraging everyone to be little kinder every day, while bringing awareness to important issues that can impact an entire community.”
“High school is a really hard time for anyone, and negative mental health can make it feel just that much more impossible,” said Faith Pinegar, a senior and member of the ASK club. “We want to promote positive mental health with just little acts of kindness that can make someone’s day.”
For junior Sydney Hilliard, she believes kindness is so important that she participates in ASK club to hopefully spread kindness throughout Hamilton Heights (and outside of school as well).
(From right) ASK Club members Maria Mitchell and Sydney Hilliard, both juniors, are shown here with senior Faith Pinegar and co-sponsor Susan McCoskey serving lemonade to sophomore Grant Cavanaugh and senior Ansley Reid. (Photo provided)