Is it true that a student committed suicide several weeks ago? How is no one talking about this tragedy?
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Devastating.
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Suicide contagion at schools, colleges are also hushing up suicides on campus, and decent reporters will leave out details.
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There is indeed a mental health crisis among our youth and that is being talked about. As for this case, I’d guess that the family asked for privacy. This is happening at public and private schools around the country.
It’s so important to make sure kids know how to access resources and that they are available.
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I don’t know about this incident but suicide and attempts are not uncommon in high schools and colleges. There was one at our high school this year, as well as a drug overdose by a 2020 grad.
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Yes it is true. Out of respect for the family, the student’s friends and the school community, it did not feel right to share on here.
There is a true mental health crisis in our teens, and the case at Lawrenceville, unfortunately, is not unique. I do hope more light continues to be brought to this problem, because we need to make serious changes.
Lawrenceville has done an incredible job in the aftermath, but we all wish there didn’t have to be an aftermath.
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I think what might be most helpful moving forward is to have a mental health awareness thread pinned. Perhaps something with information that’s helpful for both parents & students. It’s important for parents to understand the stress students are under these days, particularly at some of the more intense schools, and even more important for students to know what resources are available to them, and to know how to help a friend who may be struggling. If anyone is qualified to start a thread, I think we could all really benefit from it .
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I think there may be such a thread, or a series of them. One of the mods here was very involved with NAMI. That could be a great section – always great suggestions and resource for students and families.
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Calling @MaineLonghorn to point us to a relevant thread(s) or help us start one.
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While in high school my daughter talked two friends down from suicide (one was actually on a balcony ready to jump, the other was ideation). Mental health is a huge, huge, huge problem. There are no easy answers or fixes either. I was extremely glad those friends reached out for help, but it was pretty frightening to watch a high schooler being given the responsibility of saving a life too.
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My son said that at least at groton, where Covid restrictions have never been relaxed, kids are pretty miserable right now. School is as academically rigorous and grinding as ever but the little things that made groton doable are gone. The headmaster is turning a blind eye and telling kids - in his graduation speech no less - that they should be grateful (to him??). I imagine if my son and his friends are stretched to the breaking point many others are as well.
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I suffered from depression when I was at boarding school many years ago. I am forever grateful for my roommate, who noticed the signs, talked to me about it, and offered to go with me to set up an appointment with a school counselor and also attended the first appointment with me. It’s so important that (BS) students have the power and knowledge to help each other out. Kudos to your daughter for being such an incredible friend, twice over.
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I’m the parent of an alum (Lville class of 2018), and found out on my FB feed or Instagram, I can’t remember which. The Lville administration posted something healing and remembrance, but no details were shared. I didn’t know it was a completed suicide until this thread.
So sorry to hear about this. I agree that mental welfare of these students should be prioritized, especially at this critical juncture in their lives. At least with boarding schools, there are preceptors, housemasters, teachers and people who are in daily contact with students. Much harder to pass under the radar. Hope the administration takes some steps.
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I went back thru the official Lville FB feed. There is a post dated May 3, 2022 which confirms the suicide. What a terrible loss.
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That’s really unfortunate. Groton used to be on a par with Andover and Exeter and always included among the top New England boarding schools…now, it’s more or less an after thought in my opinion
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It seems worth noting that, as of several years ago, at least, Groton tied (with Thacher) for having the lowest acceptance rate (12%) of any boarding school in the nation.
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I would guess that this is still true today, primarily because Groton is smaller than other schools. They can only accept ~120 students each year, and the total number of applications does not shrink proportionately to match the fact that it is smaller.
From an email from our HoS sent today:
“As we seek to understand the circumstances of (his) death, experts tell us it would be premature to connect (his) death directly to the stress and mental health concerns on campus – indeed, our investigation is ongoing, and we may never have a complete understanding.”
Based on my personal knowledge of the situation, I agree with this sentiment.
The high level of speculation occurring in this thread has made me quite uncomfortable, and that is why I have avoided participating outside of this post. I understand that there’s broader issues at play across all schools here, but I don’t appreciate the way the situation has been treated on this forum.
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My heart hurts for your entire community and his family and close friends. The most important thing right now (and always) is to take care of yourself and the people around you. 
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Cushing academy lost one student from suicide recently. 
Also multiple suicidal attempt from another CT boarding school.
Please pay more attention to our young generation. Communicate often. More experienced counseling service is needed at BS.
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