JAY – Jay High School has received a grant of up to $24,000 to educate staff and students on suicide prevention.

Jay was one of 12 high schools around the state to share in nearly $300,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue work on the the Maine School Community Suicide Prevention Intervention Project.

Maine Department of Human Services announced Friday the award of up to $8,000 a year over three years but notified the school it was a recipient last spring, school guidance counselor Julie Talmage said.

Talmage, who submitted the grant, said it is mainly an early intervention prevention program that will be used to develop ways to recognize and assist youth who may be suicidal.

A one-day “Gatekeepers” training session was held Friday for key personnel in the school system responsible for assisting youth who need suicide prevention services.

Jay invited similar personnel from SAD 36 to participate in the training, Talmage said.

Jay plans to send at least four of its staff to train to teach other staff members how to recognize suicidal signs and to reach out to those in need.

It’s an intervention strategy funded by the federal government, Talmage said.

Maine is one of two states to receive the money.

Another piece of the program is a curricular component referred to as “Lifelines” that will be presented in health classes to teach prevention and awareness.

It encourages youth to seek help from adults, Talmage said, by empowering them with knowledge of some of the symptoms of suicide so they will know what to do if they know someone who is contemplating suicide or if they are thinking about it themselves.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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