Log in

Suicide Awareness Month

Scottsdale athletes participate in suicide awareness campaign

Posted 9/7/22

High school students across the Valley are using social media in an effort to support their peers as part of a suicide prevention and awareness campaign organized by Teen Lifeline and the Grand …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor
Suicide Awareness Month

Scottsdale athletes participate in suicide awareness campaign

Posted

High school students across the state are using social media in an effort to support their peers as part of a suicide prevention and awareness campaign organized by Teen Lifeline and the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club. 

The campaign is a series of professionally produced public service announcements that will air in September as part of Suicide Awareness Month. Students featured consist of nineteen football players and one cheerleader, who either volunteered for the campaign or were nominated. The public service announcements will be broadcast on social media belonging to the schools, sports teams and students involved. 

“These students are the leaders on their campuses,” Nikki Kontz, Teen Lifeline clinical director, said. “Talking about mental health, especially on a peer-to-peer level, is something that has become more and more relevant and something we really want to destigmatize.”

Teen Lifeline, a nonprofit organization that offers support to Arizona youth, offers services such as a crisis peer hotline and suicide prevention education. The reason the public service announcements feature students, Kontz said, is because young adults often turn to those within their own age group before they may seek help elsewhere. In recent years, she said, social media has become a complicated extension of that behavior. 

“We know kids and teenagers will look to their peers first to figure out what is normal,” Kontz said. “Social media has become another way of doing that, but on social media platforms people usually only post their best pictures.” 

According to the Teen Lifeline website, the organization answered over 42,000 calls or texts at its crisis peer hotline in 2021. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide was the second leading cause of death for people aged 10-14 and 25-34 in 2020. Some studies suggest a connection between social media usage and an increasing suicide rate in young adults. 

“We use social media for these public service announcements and we use it to highlight leaders in these schools who are talking about another side of life that isn’t perfect and that’s ok,” Kontz said. 

William Curtis, a senior and football player at American Leadership Academy in Queen Creek, was nominated by his coach to be featured in the campaign. He said participating in the campaign was an easy decision. 

“I think suicide and mental health is a big issue, in Arizona especially,” Curtis said. “When my coach asked me to be part of the PSAs I figured I was just doing what I could to help people out.” 

Filming took place a month and a half ago, Curtis said, and posts are scheduled throughout the month of September. Curtis said the use of social media hopefully means more eyes on the campaign. 

“I think it’s going to do a lot of good,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll reach a lot of people, as many people as possible.” 

Students involved include: 

  • Layton Duncan (Wide Receiver) from Brophy High School in Phoenix
  • Max Martin (Quarterback) from Camelback High School in Phoenix
  • Izaac Patterson from Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix
  • Matt Klopfenstein (Tight End) from Horizon High School in Scottsdale
  • Mason VanDerToorn (Cornerback) from Horizon High School in Scottsdale
  • Noah Triguerso (Quarterback) from Notre Dame Preparatory High School in Scottsdale
  • Cole Martin (Cornerback) from Basha High School in Chandler
  • Tre Spivey (Wide Receiver) from Hamilton High School in Chandler
  • Brandon Phelps (Wide Receiver) from American Leadership Academy Gilbert North in 
  • Aiden Herring (Defensive End / Tight End) from Perry High School in Gilbert
  • Kayla Smith (Cheerleader) from Mountain View High School in Mesa
  • William Curtis (Tackle) from American Leadership Academy Queen Creek in Queen Creek
  • Deshawn Warner (Defensive End / Outside Linebacker) from Desert Edge High School in Goodyear
  • Salehe Koonooka (Tight End / Defensive End) from Centennial High School in Peoria
  • Sa’Kylee Woodward (Defensive Tackle) from Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley
  • Nasohn Jantz (Linebacker) from Ironwood Ridge High School in Oro Valley
  • Otto Hagele (Wide Receiver / Defensive Back) from Ironwood Ridge High School in Oro Valley
  • Mason Sanchez (Cornerback) from Salpointe High School in Tucson
  • Christian Pando (Running Back / Linebacker) from Willcox High School in Willcox
  • Richard Stallworth (Quarterback) from Yuma High School in Yuma