This year, Mrs. Nelson will be introducing The Hope Squad to Alliance High School. Nelson will be the advisor collecting that information and getting it sent off to Hope Squad International. The advisors and the squad members have to take QPR. QPR stands for question persuade refer. All of the staff from our school have to complete a suicide prevention form. The members of the hope squad have to follow a curriculum that will be taught to them. Later on this year, they will have different events like Hope Week. Hope Week is a time to make people aware and teach them about Hope Squad and warning signs to look for in your peers. 

Every AHS student gets to fill out a nomination form and nominate three students to be a part of Hope Squad. After each student nominates three students, the advisors and administrators look over that and talk about who they feel would be good students for the Hope Squad. The survey was sent out Tuesday, November 2 and they are in the process of choosing students to invite to be members. Through Hope Squad International’s requirements, Hope Squad has to meet twice a month, for a minimum of 30-50 minutes total. When the students are nominated, Hope Squad will then figure out what days are available for everyone participating to meet. The ultimate goal is to eventually have it as a class period. 

Nelson states, “My expectations would be first and foremost [to] stop a suicide. Second of all, [that] people learn enough about it and look for signs and carry it on for the rest of their life through college, life and work.” She continued saying, “After we get this process we will move on to the middle and elementary schools as well. Getting all three buildings going is the goal.” 

She explained that when she and her sister went out to the training in Utah, they learned that it’s not only a suicide prevention program, it’s an anti-bullying program; it’s showing kindness. This is a good and helpful program for students to get along more and learn how to be nice to each student. Having students help each other out more will decrease the chances of bullying and suicide.