We all know about how hard life has been for people recently. How much things have changed, and the change is only adding to the stress everyone is feeling. Suicide rates have been on the rise for years, and now with everything going on, they’ve sky rocketed. There are many ways to go out and ask for help, and the Hope Squad is hoping to be one of those resources. 

Here at Bingham, we now have a class called Hope Squad. It used to be a club that would meet up once a week and talk about ways to try to help the students at their school. This year they decided to make it a class people can take instead, and every other day they learn about signs of suicidal thoughts/action and how to properly handle those. Their only goal is to help the people around them.

Hope week was a week dedicated to the Hope Squad where they helped out the students every day of the week. They were unable to do as much as they usually do, due to obvious reasons, so on the first day (March 1) they held the doors open and welcomed in the students and handed out life saver candies. They wanted to show the students that they had “hope available at Bingham.” 

They spread joy by having a photo booth and hanging up red and white papers that students had filled out with things that brought them hope, as well as handing out yellow “HOPE” bracelets to everyone. Mrs. Bair, the Hope Squad teacher, said the whole point was to show students that “Hope Squad members, if they need them, are there.”

Everyone feels alone sometimes, but Bingham’s Hope Squad is there to help you feel better. You can usually find them wearing their Hope Squad t-shirts, or chances are they will come to you and offer you some companionship. If you ever need a hand, the Hope Squad will be there to help.