By Jaehun Lee
Arts Reporter

Every year, there is a lot of interest about what the graduating class will present as its senior gift. This year’s senior class gift has a special meaning.

With last year’s tragic suicides in the Newton Public School district, this year’s seniors are making a monetary donation to the Signs of Suicide program at Newton South.

“We did not have any specific ideas about what the senior gift would be this year,” said senior class president Jae Seung Lee. “However, the tragic losses in our community made us all realize the importance of mental health education and prevention programs, which led to this decision.”

The Signs of Suicide program is a program by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the US government that, according to its website, “includes screening for depression and suicide risk and education to help them recognize signs of depression and suicide in themselves and other.”

One of the main criticisms of the SOS program at Newton South has been that people are not going to seek mental help happily. They are not skipping over to a counselor. In fact, the SOS program seems to have little effect on student’s willingness to seek help.

In an independent survey conducted earlier in the year, of 107 South students, an overwhelming 72% responded that they still felt uncomfortable reaching out for mental health help even after taking the SOS course, with many of them fearing judgement from peers.

This negative connotation of seeking help for mental health issues is precisely what the class of 2015 is looking to combat.

“We think that the senior gift will help remove the negative stigma associated with reaching out for help for one’s mental health,” Lee said. “We are hoping that this donation will help our community take one step closer towards helping students’ mental health.”

Lee has high hopes that the class gift will help this year’s seniors solidify themselves as a tight-knit community.

“Through this gift, our hope is that the class of 2015 is remembered as a supportive community that genuinely cares about its peers,” Lee said.