Never Alone at North seeks to boost mental health awareness

That Chris Buckner posted a message on social media about the new grass-roots organization Never Alone at North means it's off on the right foot.

One of the organization's founders, Brayden Roy, a Glenbrook North graduate who's now a freshman golfer at Bryant University in Rhode Island, was friends with Buckner's son, Dylan, a Spartans student-athlete whose struggle with depression ended with his death by suicide on Jan. 7.

"We decided that the only way we could honor our friend would be to create a positive change in our community," Roy said.

And so, Never Alone at North. The mission statement taken from its website, www.neveraloneatnorth.org, reads, in part: "We strive to educate and unite GBN students with GBN alumni and upperclassmen to bring awareness to mental health and help high school students deal with the pressures and stresses that come with being a high school student."

"At the end of the day a big goal is obviously to try and minimize the suicide rate. But obviously it's more about the mental health at Glenbrook North," said another of Dylan Buckner's friends, and one of the movement's founders, senior Dylan Yoss, a receiver on the Spartans football team. Dylan Buckner played quarterback.

Never Alone at North, still in its formative weeks, is led by several people heading what Yoss called its executive board: Roy, Yoss, Glenbrook North seniors Olivia Miller and Daniel Wilcox, and Spartans assistant hockey coaches Ben Stein and Rob Schmidt.

Each has specific responsibilities. Current high schoolers Wilcox and Yoss concentrate on spreading the message to Glenbrook North students and teachers. Miller handles social media. Roy has been reaching out to graduates. Stein seeks partners and heads operations, while Schmidt focuses on finances for the nonprofit.

A 2012 Glenbrook North graduate, Stein heard of Buckner's passing while the hockey team was in practice. Two days later, lying in bed, he came up with the idea and even the name of the organization.

Dylan Buckner's death was somewhat of a final straw for Stein. Two of Stein's classmates had taken their own lives the summer after his high school graduation. Another friend died in a car accident that summer. More recently, in early December 2019, his father was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He died five months later.

Stein carries himself as a happy person, but these things have taken their toll.

"The biggest thing for me is it's OK not to be OK," said Stein, 25, who emphasized that Never Alone at North is still in its very early stages. A button to "Donate Now," for example, has yet to be activated.

He firmly believes the organization will make an impact.

"Just being able to lead this charge, being the oldest member of this board, it's an honor. My family's proud. I know my dad would be proud. To be able to help others, it really is my passion," he said.

A goal of Never Alone at North, whose founders hope will eventually be incorporated into school practice, is to maintain "the great grades and great GPAs that are in the district and also place an emphasis and importance on students' mental health and well-being," Roy said over the phone from Rhode Island.

A couple of the steps he'd like to see include creating time slots, perhaps daily, allocated to mental health awareness; and having final exams count for only 10% of a student's grade to "help reduce stress and anxiety," Roy said.

A main facet of their plan is to create a student mentorship program in which freshmen would get paired with an alumni mentor with similar interests for all four years of the student's high school career. The freshman might also be paired with a "junior" mentor, preferably an upperclassman who "knows what's going on in school," Roy said.

Roy and Yoss said the difference between the Peer Group Leader program currently in place in District 225 and Never Alone at North is their plan is not limited to in-school interaction during a portion of a student's free period.

"It gives these freshmen the option to go talk to someone about how to prepare for finals, or how to organize their homework," said Yoss, who suggested a bond could be further strengthened by activity out of school.

"That small gesture means a lot," Yoss said.

Roy said that before he returned to college after winter break, he met with District 225 Superintendent Dr. Charles Johns to discuss the plan. More recently, he shared a Zoom call with Glenbrook North Principal Jason Markey.

"District 225 and Glenbrook North have no official affiliation with the Never Alone at North organization, but we are overjoyed to see our alumni wanting to connect and mentor current students," Markey said.

"We are open to speaking with members of the organization about a potential partnership in the near future."

Being a fledgling organization, the principals are working to solidify strategies, gain partners, work toward funding and secure a base of possible mentors. Yoss hopes to run simulations of their program at the end of this school year, but the "best case is to be ready for next year," he said.

Though Stein said Never Alone at North will be open to all students, not just athletes, his policy of welcoming Spartans hockey players to share any problem with him translated to the mentorship program.

"If you need serious help you need to go to a trained professional, but if you're just having a bad day or are struggling, why not get matched up," he said.

"I think if I had that in high school I for sure could have been more successful."