Mountain View High School wrapped up its annual Mental Health Awareness Week with the Unity Walk on Friday, an event dedicated to suicide prevention and building connections, according to the official Mountain View High Ambassadors’s Instagram account.
The event was hosted by the Mountain View High Ambassadors in collaboration with the Student Community Leaders program at Los Altos High School, two student groups aiming to foster an inclusive school community through on-campus programs and initiatives. Friday’s event featured guest speakers, student performances and booths belonging to local mental health and teen community service organizations.
“Unity, in the context of this walk, means our community coming together to honor and remember those we’ve lost but also to raise awareness about what each of us can do to help prevent suicide and future tragedies,” Mountain View High Assistant Principal Marti McGuirk said.
Among the booths was Counseling and Support Services for Youth, an organization that provides student mental health services for schools across the Bay Area including Mountain View High.
“Being part of a community shows everybody that you’re not alone in this, especially during a suicide awareness walk,” CASSY therapist Alondra Garcia said.
Stanford Inpatient Psychiatry Team unit educator Jamie Borysk added that a supportive community is key to students’ mental health.
“When you go to a school that supports mental health, and you feel like you have adequate resources and people you can reach out to, it’s huge,” Borsyk said.
Students also found powerful meaning in the event, both in honoring personal experiences and connecting with their peers.
“Bringing the community together through such a big event is really impactful, especially for people who aren’t used to seeing these organizations every day,” said Mountain View High senior Harini Siva Bala Murugan Anusha. “Just knowing about them could help save someone’s life or raise awareness about all the resources we have in our city and county.”
