Suicide - a conversation no one wants to initiate, yet students at Northampton Area High School have fearlessly, proactively addressed the subject in a big way.

Students Paige Evans and Rileigh Hudson, both juniors, created a suicide awareness program as the focus of a marketing assignment. Shatter the Silence is a program addressing teen suicide before it happens.

As stated in their executive summary, “Shatter the Silence is the first program in NAHS history to simultaneously educate faculty, students and parents on suicide prevention while breaking the stigma around mental health. Through four main activities, Shatter the Silence aims to deeply connect with all individuals affiliated with NAHS to create a lasting impact of hope and awareness.”

In the United States, suicide is the third leading cause of death of young people between the ages of 15 and 24. NAHS, they said, lacked a program to educate community members on teen suicide ideation, possibly leaving some feeling confused, unaware and hopeless.

Equally as important as the subject of this assignment were the skills acquired to plan, organize, execute, monitor and control the presentation of Shatter the Silence. The assignment was much more than a research paper. Paige and Rileigh put together a thorough, concise marketing plan to launch Shatter the Silence, and they succeeded in a full schoolwide launch. While the topic of teen suicide prevention was the product, the marketing was the objective.

Northampton Area High School Principal Luke Shafnisky and community awareness business teacher/adviser Tara Mrazik reveled in the students achievements and enthusiasm.

“The girls worked independently, planning and presenting the complete project,” they said.

It involved student assemblies, faculty meetings, doughnuts and discussion and, ultimately, Shatter the Silence Day. This project included a timeline, target markets, project budget, risk analysis, future recommendations, key metrics and the project reach. Each aspect was reviewed and researched extensively. Shatter the Silence Day included a pledge wall - 250 students took a suicide awareness pledge - and resource cards with numbers and sites that teens can reach out to if needed. Speakers, wristbands and community support from St. Luke’s were part of the day.

Paige and Rileigh presented their program, representing NAHS, at the Pennsylvania state competition in Hershey Feb. 21-23.

Statistics provided by Paige and Rileigh in the executive summary for Shatter the Silence 2024 include the following.

• Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2021, there was an estimated 1.70 million suicide attempts.

• 42% of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness.

• 22% of high school students seriously considered suicide.

• 10% of high school students attempted suicide.

Providing awareness and resources to more young adults is one way to reduce teen suicide. Paige and Rileigh said they would like their program to continue, even as they move on to other endeavors.