Group helps Dist. 220 tackle mental health stigma

Shattered by two teen suicides at the end of last school year, the Barrington-area community is beginning the new year with an organized approach to recognizing and addressing mental health issues.

Shaped entirely over the summer months, HERE in Barrington is a mental health task force made up of students, parents, educators, health care experts and faith-based organizations aimed at changing the culture of the community.

Barrington High School has suffered from four student suicides over the past two years.

The new group's most well-defined goal is eradicating the stigma young people may feel in availing themselves of the help already offered by various local agencies.

But the group - whose name stands for "Help, Encouragement, Resources, Education" - also intends to add and improve upon those sources of help.

A number of events in coming weeks, and throughout the school year in Barrington Unit District 220, intend to do exactly that.

There will be an awareness and benefit concert held after the Sept. 11 high school football game featuring the group The Academy Is ..., which boasts alumni William Beckett and Adam Siska.

The concert will lead up to a "Stomp the Stigma" event at the high school stadium during the evening of Sept. 26. The program will include live music, multimedia presentations and interaction with local mental health organizations.

A community survey revealed a variety of ways will be needed to get the group's message to everyone, including workshops, presentations, newsletters and a Web site, HEREinBarrington.org.

Among the members of the task force are students Tanya Mookerji and Courtney Griffin.

Mookerji said the student body of Barrington High School was absolutely grief-stricken by the tragedies of the past two years.

They created a new fear among students - fear for each other and fear for themselves, Griffin said. She said students need to feel there's a place they can go to and a place they belong.

Principal Steve McWilliams said that in the competitive student culture that's evolved, too few are celebrating others' successes. He would like to see more community support for activities like student plays, volleyball games and other team efforts.

McWilliams said there must also be resistance to the notion that "average" is a dirty word and that students must excel in some way to earn acceptance.

Help: Students need to be less competitive, principal says