After the number of deaths due to suicide significantly increased across Loudoun County, Dominion High School decided to come up with a in hopes finding a stress-free medium for both students and faculty. The creation of the “Healthy Me, Healthy We” campaign is to create a support system across Dominion High School to remind students that if there are any concerns they stumble upon, there is at least one person who is always ready to listen to their concerns.

The counseling office, specifically Ms. Smith, head of the counseling office, along with Dominion High School’s AP Psychology teacher, Mr. Haberman, came together to come up with the “Healthy Me, Healthy We” Campaign in order to create a barrier between students and suicide. Even though Dominion did not have any suicides within the school, the faculty and staff found it necessary to create an educational outlet to help decrease the number of potential suicides.

Dr. Brewer states that the purpose of the “Healthy Me, Healthy We” campaign is to ease the pressures every day students feel in their daily lives both in and outside of school. “First of all, we have been worried for some time do to the pressure that is placed on adolescence, pushing them to live in fear and anxiety,” Brewer said. “There are more important things in life such as being healthy socially, emotionally, and physically rather than worrying about having a killer GPA.”

Mrs. Patel, a school counselor for eight years stated, “It’s a new program, so we are kind of rolling with the program and developing it as we go. We want to be responsive to things as the year progresses, so I guess with that in mind, giving feedback on the lessons of the campaign and the overall motion itself from students will benefit the future of the campaign as well.”