On Jan. 15, all Emmaus High School students will receive a wristband.

These wristbands with the words, “You are Special, You are Loved and Your Life Matters,” have been provided to promote suicide prevention awareness within the school community and to ensure students know the faculty and staff at EHS value them as individuals and care deeply about their well-being. The district’s hope is that members of the school community will wear this wristband to show their support for this important cause.

According to the Jason Foundation, there are approximately 3,000 suicide attempts per day by students in grades nine through 12 in the United States. Sadly, these numbers continue to rise at an extremely alarming rate. There are too many young lives lost, largely because of not knowing how to get help.

The staff and faculty at EHS would like every student to know they matter. It is important to remember they are not alone and there’s always a place to turn.

The adults who students are surrounded by everyday understand high school can be challenging. The teachers, along with other staff members, genuinely care about the students’ well-being and want students to leave school knowing they are cared about. Students are encouraged to “Never be afraid to reach out to an adult or a trusted friend because talking can go a long way,” according to the district announcement.

An announcement was included in the morning announcements Jan. 15 and parents were notified in case they would like to also talk about this topic at home. Because this topic can be sensitive for some students, parents were given the option to not have their student view the announcements on that day.

Following the announcements, teachers handed out wristbands to students.

“Our hope is that the wristband will serve as a reminder that ‘You are special, you are loved, and your life matters.’ You just never know who is going through a difficult time. By wearing this wristband, and reading those few simple, yet powerful words, you are reminding someone they are not alone,” district administration said.

The announcement was accompanied by this brief YouTube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fXakocktmM&feature=youtu.be.