Counselors to be at Corona del Sol after suicide

Mental-health counselors, social workers and psychologists will be at a Tempe high-school campus Wednesday morning to help students and teachers cope after a student committed suicide Tuesday at the school.

The 20-plus-member support team will be at Corona del Sol "as long as needed" in response to the death of Marcus Wheeler, 18, who shot himself in a school breezeway, according to Tempe police.

"Our Number 1 priority right now is supporting our staff and students," said Tempe Union High School District spokeswoman Jill Hanks.

Corona was closed Tuesday after the incident, which prompted a lockdown at 9 a.m., Hanks said, but some students remained to talk to counselors at the 2,800-student school.

The district also e-mailed parents about signs of stress to look for in their teens and invited parents to bring students back to the school to talk to counselors, she said. Teachers who notice students struggling with emotions have been asked to encourage students to talk to the support team — and even take students to get help, she said. The support team will talk to students wherever they are needed, in hallways, in classrooms and in the school cafeteria.

Corona officials called police and began the hourlong lockdown after the start of classes Tuesday morning after being told by students that someone with a weapon was standing in a campus breezeway, said Molly Enright, a Tempe police spokeswoman.

Other students left the breezeway when they saw the weapon, police said. School security officers and a school resource officer arrived quickly. Police said the officers tried to talk to Wheeler from a safe distance but he killed himself.

The incident prompted athletic officials to cancel a Tuesday concert and a high-school playoff baseball game. The game was rescheduled for this afternoon at Maryvale Stadium.

Those who knew Wheeler expressed shock and sorrow.

Tim Kelly, head track coach at Corona del Sol, said Wheeler was on the track team and was a member of last season's state championship team.

SCHOOL ON LOCKDOWN AFTER SUICIDE

"He had a smile on his face when he walked up and down the hallways every day," Kelly said. "He was such a positive influence. He was a phenomenal athlete.

"I've been trying to console 150 track kids," Kelly said. "They are upset and hurting."

Corona del Sol senior Isiah Bolden said he talked to Wheeler on Tuesday, as he does every morning. Wheeler did not show any signs he was distraught, Bolden said.

"I wish he did show a sign so I could have talked to him," Bolden said.

Bolden said he heard about the suicide in his second-hour class and immediately broke down.

"Everyone at Corona enjoyed his presence." Bolden said. "He was a very likable person."

A discussion on how to heal the school began Tuesday as students took to social media. Educators and mental-health experts offered support and advice to parents and students.

Andrew Morrill, president of the Arizona Education Association, said he had tears in his eyes after he learned about the death on Tuesday afternoon. Before leading the state's largest teachers union, he taught high school English for 17 years and lost two students to suicide, he said.

"As a teacher, you like to think you have a sense of where students are in their lives," he said. "And then there is that desk that sits empty. You feel a terrible sense of inadequacy."

Morrill said he sought help from his schools' counselors and "coped by helping students cope."

Nancy Spilsbury, chairwoman of the counseling department at Basha High School in Chandler, said word about the death at Corona had spread to her school Tuesday morning.

The school's approach was to keep an eye on students' emotions and allow them to talk about their sadness but not overreact, Spilsbury said.

Michelle Moorhead, executive director of Teen Lifeline, encourages parents of stressed kids to bring up the topic of suicide.

Her organization's website, teenlifeline.org, helps parents discuss it with their teens.

"If they already have thoughts of suicide, talking about it says to them, 'Somebody else gets it. Maybe I can open up and talk to them and maybe they really care.'

"I know it's really scary because parents think, 'What if the answer is yes.' "

Then the parents can focus on getting help right away, she said.

Shane Watson, who runs parent and staff programs for the Scottsdale-based Not My Kid organization, encourages teachers, counselors and school leaders to have ongoing conversations about suicide.

"If a child is struggling with depression and they see that this other person took care of it this way, it can start to seem a viable option to them, to end suffering," Watson said.

"It's important to have someone available to talk to them. And it needs to be ongoing. One conversation won't take care of it."

Arizona has a higher suicide rate among young people than the national average. In 2010, the most recent year for which data is available, Arizona had a rate of 14.7 suicides per 100,000 people age 15 to 24. The national rate was 10.5 per 100,000.

Statistics from the Arizona Department of Health show that June, July and August are the most common months for suicides across all ages. In 2012, 315 of the 1,070 suicides were during those months.

Teen Lifeline sees an uptick of calls during times of high stress: the beginning of the school year, Christmas break and the end of the school year. In May 2014, the program saw a 9 percent increase in calls over the previous month — about 100 more calls than usual, said Jennifer Kuhn, Teen Lifeline communications specialist.

Moorhead said it's a waste of time to dwell on the "why" because that is often never known.

"A young person doesn't consider suicide as an option because one thing went wrong," Moorhead said. "The truth is that it's very complicated, and it's a multitude of things going on in their life and their ability to cope with that.

"They're in a lot of pain and that pain is coming from a lot of different places."

The important point, experts say, is to help young people know that despair is temporary, and they can reach out for help.

Where to call for help

Mercy Maricopa's 24-hour crisis line: 1-800-203-2273

Teens can also contact Teen Lifeline at 602-248-8337

Tips for parents

Mental-health professionals said it is important to remember that people experience and react to traumatic events in a variety of ways, some of which might not become evident for days or weeks. The responses can impact witnesses, friends, relatives and even those who see coverage in the media.

Common reactions to trauma can vary. They may include:

-- Fear, anxiety or depression.

-- Nausea, dizziness, changes in appetite or sleep patterns.

-- Withdrawal from daily activities.

-- Symptoms of avoidance, including staying away from places related to the trauma or feeling detached.

-- Emotional outbursts or being easily startled.

-- Mood shifts or confusion.

-- Lack of concentration.

Tips for coping

-- Understand that these reactions are normal, especially soon after the traumatic event.

-- Keep up your usual routine.

-- Be with other people. Don't isolate yourself.

-- Exercise, try to relax and be kind to yourself.

-- Allow yourself to feel bad, but recognize that some things are beyond your control.

-- Try to face your fears and try not to shy away from situations, people and places that may remind you of the trauma.

-- Reach out to family, friends and your faith community for support. Talk about your feelings and what you're experiencing.

-- Seek trained help if you feel you need it by reaching out to a crisis line or mental-health center.

SOURCE: Mercy Maricopa