JAY — Rebecca Rodgers is hoping fellow students at Jay High School listen and take part in discussions on bullying, depression, teen pregnancy and suicide prevention among other issues during Friday’s Wellness Day at the school.

Normally a quiet 17-year-old, Rodgers of Jay, said there are times that she knows she needs to speak out.

She is hoping that people will learn that there are problems all around them, and that they can occur and happen to them, she said.

“I mean that I think some people have the idea that it is happening to other people but won’t happen to them, and it could happen to them.”

She deals with her own bouts of depression and is learning how to work through it. She was bullied when she was younger, she said, and believes that may have contributed to depression.

“I know from my past, self-injury is a real deal,” she said.

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Rodgers, a junior, tries to balance school and work, and live a healthy lifestyle.

She doesn’t believe in bullying others.

“It’s not right and there will be consequences on both sides,” Rodgers said.

She is looking forward to Wellness Day and believes there are some serious messages that students need to hear. There will also be information on ways students can find help.

“I am just hoping people will be aware of stuff that is going on around them, and hopefully they’ll learn to recognize the signs,” Rodgers said. “You can’t help a person who doesn’t want to be helped but I’ll still try, even sometimes when I don’t know the person.”

dperry@sunjournal.com


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