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WEBER — The Weber School District is using its annual Christmas Tree Jubilee to spread a message about suicide prevention and hope — a message that is especially important to students and teachers at Weber High.
Christmas is a time of hope and joy, which is one of the reasons Roy High teachers Michelle Kersey-Smith and Brandy Lee decided to help put together a tree for the Weber School District's annual Christmas Tree Jubilee.
"We thought it might be a little something different for Christmas, try and make it happy and bright," Kersey-Smith said.
Kersey-Smith and Lee chose light blue and white ornaments for the tree, similar to the colors from the Disney movie "Frozen," to spread their message.
"The message of hope for our tree is don't get frozen in your fears, don't let fear hold you back from your dreams," Kersey-Smith said.
The tree from Roy High is one of four at this year's Jubilee trying to spread the message of hope following a tough summer for one Weber County high school. Three students from Weber High died by suicide over the summer.
"It's been really tough on the whole community, parents and students," the student services coordinator for Weber School District, Sara Allen, said.
Since the deaths, the community and school district have pulled together to help other students who could be struggling.
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The Alpine School District has an urgent message for parents: Talk to your children about suicide."We had what was called a night of healing and hope in August and we had speakers come to that. Invited the whole community to that and had a really good turn out," Allen said.
The district has also provided additional training to teachers and staff and has a group called the student response team in each school.
"The first training has been done with those students, and the first training is on life, is on suicide, and it's on how to be the eyes and ears for the counselors and the administrators," Allen said.
Each member of the team wears a T-shirt with the suicide prevention hotline number on the back letting students know they have multiple places to turn, a message Bonneville High student Katie Koford hopes to send with her tree.
"I really wanted to do something to speak out against that because no person should feel so alone that they feel like they need to take their own lives," Koford said.
Koford spent weeks working on her tree, with some help from several community businesses. She put it together with what she feels is an important message.
"I would just really want them to know that they do have a place to turn and that they don't have to face this alone or in silence," Koford said.
The other two trees are from Uintah Elementary and Weber High School. All four trees can be seen at the Jubilee at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center through Friday. Also, if you or somebody you know is struggling with suicide, there are people you can talk to. You can call the national suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 for support 24-hours a day.
Morgan Wilkins works as producer at KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. He graduated from Weber State University in communications. He is always looking for feedback. E-mail him at mwilkins@ksl.com
