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STAMFORD, Conn. Wearing black t-shirts and name tags of teenagers who have taken their own lives, eighth grade students at Rippowam Middle School kept silent on Thursday to raise awareness for teenage suicide.
Its really sad really hard to notice reality, Monique Barbosa, one of the students not participating in the day of silence, said.
Organized by three students, more than 200 eighth grade students started their day with a presentation about teen suicide,. The presentation included a video tribute to teenagers who had committed suicide and presentations by Amanda Harmon of the Family Centers Health Center at Rippowam, and Dave Sottosanti, a Stamford resident and whose daughter, Rachel, took her own life three years ago.
Sottosanti urged kids to stop bullying each other, telling them they are no better than anyone else and that it is alright to be different. He also told the students that if they know of anyone who may be hurting and considering suicide, they have to tell someone.
Every day I hurt inside, and I wish someone could tell me my daughter hurt inside, he said, explaining that he would have sought help for Rachel had he known she was thinking of taking her own life.
Harmon gave tips to the students on how to know if they have a friend who may be considering suicide, suggesting changes in behavior or eating patterns are two ways to tell, and that talking to someone about any issues or problems does not make you crazy.
The teen suicide awareness events were part of the English unit, teens take a stand, where teacher Alanna Williams made her students support something, similar to the teens they were reading about. Students had to pick an issue and have an action based project and paper about how to change that issue.
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