Park, North Star students inspire classmates with encouraging Hope Squad activities

September 16, 2025

Lincoln Public Schools students inspired their classmates this month with glowing bracelets, glittering butterflies and many gentle-hearted conversations.
 
Hope Squad members at Park Middle School and North Star High School spread awareness about suicide prevention and mental health during Suicide Prevention Month. Park students taped more than 100 turquoise and purple butterflies to a cafeteria window as symbols of courage and optimism for everyone. North Star representatives handed out flexible yellow glow sticks – the color of hope – during a September football game to emphasize the power of unity and connection.
 
Park eighth graders Kimberly, Zayden and Tha and seventh graders Serenity and Alex are members of the school’s Hope Squad chapter. Kimberly said it was important for them to talk with their classmates about suicide prevention. A July 2025 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said 2.6 million people ages 12-17 had serious thoughts of suicide last year.
 
“People hide their emotions sometimes, and they don’t want other people to see that they’re struggling, so it’s good to know the signs and everything of what’s happening and how to help the other person that’s struggling in that time,” Kimberly said.

 
North Star senior Lauren is in her second year as the school’s Hope Squad co-president. She joined in 2022 after one of her relatives experienced mental health stress. She has led many North Star activities and appeared in a districtwide Hope Squad video last year. Her career goal is to become a nurse in the mental health field.
 
“Seeing the impact I’ve been able to have on other people has been a really big change in my life, especially the kids I work with,” Lauren said. “Knowing that I’m making an impact on them and making an impact on the people around me, it just makes me feel good about everything that’s happening. Our Hope Squad is growing and we’re making such big changes in our school, so it’s just great to watch it happen.”
 
Hope Squads at all 20 LPS middle and high schools serve as built-in support networks for their classmates. Members listen to their concerns, connect them with trusted adults and create an encouraging environment on campus. They also organize school activities that multiply their message to many more people.
 
Richelle Dowding, a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) specialist at Park, and Holly Gonsor, a school counselor at North Star, felt the butterfly and glow stick projects would save lives. Both are Hope Squad facilitators at their schools and work with students on the important cause.
 
“The more we talk about suicide and suicide prevention, the more it reduces the stigma around mental illness, and students will get the help they need sooner,” Dowding said. “The ultimate goal is to prevent suicide.”
 
“Since this is a community event, this not only spreads awareness to our North Star students, but to our community members as well,” Gonsor said. “Our members wear their Hope Squad shirts so everyone knows who they are, and they tell people why they are handing out yellow glow sticks.”
 
Dowding has a personal connection to suicide prevention awareness. Her father died by suicide when she was 12 years old, and she has worked hard to ensure that Park students and families do not have to experience similar situations. She said treating others with compassion and care is something that is ingrained in the DNA of the Park community.
 
“We’ve been talking about mental illness for so long that it’s part of our culture here,” Dowding said. “Students know that we support mental illness, and they do all that they can to participate.”
 
Serenity, Alex and Zayden passed out arm bracelets that contained a butterfly symbol and the words “You are not alone” on them. Classmates also drew hearts on butterfly cutouts that Kimberly and Tha later taped to a window. The butterflies, which are flying out of an image of a tree on the glass, will remain in the cafeteria throughout the school year.
 
Lauren joined junior Hope Squad leader Janeli the following evening at Union Bank Stadium to pass out hundreds of yellow glow sticks to fans. Gonsor and her two elementary school daughters also gave them to cheerleaders, grandparents and teachers at the game.
 
“I hope it can just bring awareness,” Janeli said. “We’re trying to make yellow our color.”

 
The glow stick night is part of a series of Hope Squad activities at North Star. The chapter held a Run for Hope event last April that drew a large turnout. Janeli said members are planning to toss small volleyballs with inspirational messages to crowds at home volleyball matches this month.
 
Lauren said talking about suicide prevention at community events is especially critical. A 2024 study from the National Institutes of Health found that suicide rates for children ages 8-12 have increased by approximately eight percent annually since 2008. The 2025 SAMHSA report said 700,000 adolescents ages 12-17 attempted suicide in 2024.
 
“I don’t feel people think that kids deal with it as much as they do,” Lauren said. “You have struggles from elementary school on.”
 
Lauren said sharing hope is something she wants to continue to do in all of her LPS conversations.
 
“I feel like I’ve gotten better about talking to people about their struggles,” Lauren said. “I feel more open to it and just more okay talking about it. It’s not as awkward to talk about. It’s something that should be talked about, because we need to shatter the silence of having mental health be viewed like a bad thing, because it’s not. Everyone deals with it.”
 
If you are concerned about yourself or a family member, these resources are available to help any time of the day or night, any day of the year:
* CenterPointe Helpline (Lincoln): 402-475-6695
* Nebraska Family Helpline: 1-888-866-8660
* National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 9-8-8 or 1-800-273-8255
* Your Life Your Voice (Boys Town): 1-800-448-3000 or text VOICE to 20121 (text charges from your phone carrier may apply)
* Help for Parents: Dealing with Suicide Concerns by UNL and NDE

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