Seneca Valley students head outdoors for Hope Walk
JACKSON TWP — For a day, Seneca Valley Senior High School swapped out textbooks and quizzes for face painting, Spikeball, a dunk tank and students taking a walk around the track — away from their desks.
The school hosted its annual daylong Hope Walk event at NexTier Stadium on Thursday, May 1. Through the course of the day, all English classes joined the activities, while students in lunch and study hall could also get outside and join.
The idea, students walking in support of one another, is meant to spread a simple message: No one walks alone.
The event takes place during Hope Week, a district initiative meant to promote mental health awareness across the community, educate on suicide prevention and reduce stigma around mental health.
“This week we’ve been doing different activities and having different themes for the students, just really focusing on mental health, taking care of yourself,” Katie Smolter, a special-education teacher and faculty adviser for the SV Hope Squad, said.
The Hope Walk, according to the district, is also an opportunity for students to get outside, take a meaningful break and focus on self-care. In addition to walking the track, other games and activities provided a lively environment for students. The event featured a live DJ, and tents, with Seneca Valley teams and clubs participating in games related to their sports and activities.
“A lot of the students look forward to it. A lot of students are eager and willing to participate and help out. This year is the largest turnout we’ve had for clubs and activities on campus,” Brie Nassan, a gifted education teacher and Hope Squad adviser, said.
The Hope Squad is an organization at Seneca Valley started with the purpose of reducing stigma surrounding mental health, and encouraging others to speak out and seek help if they need it.
This was the third year the Hope Squad and the senior high school have held the event. Teachers helped with fundraising related to the event, while other organizations donated to the cause. The SV Foundation provided a big chunk of donations, while Dairy Queen provided dilly bars for all of the students and General Rental Center provided the dunk tank.
“We started three years ago with this idea, just taking a break from classes, getting outside. It has evolved over the past three years, you see these tents with the clubs, teams, with different activities for the students to partake in,” Smolter said. “Things just to allow them a break from what’s going on in the school day, come down here with their friends, enjoy some sunshine.”
Teams with tents included the track and cross country teams, who were teaching their classmates how to run through a stretch of hurdles, while the Seneca Valley cheer team showed off their halftime performances.
“It’s a good cause, everybody can get together and actually get along with each other. The Hope Squad got the track team in here, it’s good for everyone,” Elijah Wittington, a student at Seneca Valley, said.
Nassan said later in the day, students would participate in the “shoulder check,” reaching out to one another and tapping someone on the shoulder, asking “why do you check in,” in an effort to check in with one another.
Smolter and Nassan said the event has continued to grow since it first started, as have other Hope Squad related activities.
“I think we are constantly trying ways to connect with our community, because these are the students that are working in your businesses, shopping in your stores, your patients, so helping our community to understand the slogan of Hope Squad, that it takes a village to save a child, the idea of having that connection is so important,” Smolter said.
Seneca Valley has 24 days left in its school year and students were appreciative of being able to get outside and be active, especially for a cause their classmates are behind.
“It’s a good event for everyone to get together, and walk with each other,” senior student Alissa Wilson said. “It gets all the students engaged. It gets all the clubs joined together, the booths and the face painting. You’ve got cheer, art club, all these different groups. It’s really fun and good for all of us to get together.”
