MANCHESTER — Burr and Burton Academy’s Yellow Tulip Club invites the public to an interactive training session on suicide awareness and prevention at the Academy’s Belltower on Monday, March 30, at 5:30 p.m.
“The Yellow Tulip Project (YTP), itself, is a national organization that’s out of Portland, Maine,” said Kristen Kimball, school counseling chair at Burr and Burton Academy and club advisor to the BBA Yellow Tulip Club. “It was started by a teenager in a Portland high school in Maine, and has branched out to different high schools across the nation – and actually the world, I think.”
Kimball admitted that her connection with the club was a personal one, as she was friends with the founder’s mom, “She co-founded it, and I met her when I was working at Long Trail [School]. And so, I started a chapter here [at BBA] when I started.”
The issue of suicide is a personal one to Kimball. “I first became involved in this advocacy work after losing my brother to suicide in 2008, as a way to feel that I could make a difference in someone else’s life. I never could have imagined the opportunities it would create, the relationships it would foster, or the deep sense of pride I would feel watching these young people lead with such compassion and purpose. It’s incredible to watch the difference they are making in this community. And, it’s way more rewarding than doing it myself.”
Kimball’s group at BBA started with just one individual, Lexi Lacoste, who worked tirelessly to expand interest in the club from 2019-2022.
“She just persevered through two or three years of it being just her and a couple friends. But then, the year she left, a couple of other girls stepped in – and now I would say it’s probably our biggest club on campus,” added Kimball.
The two other girls who stepped up were Kate Andres and Kaelin Downey, and they led the club for the following two years. It was then picked up by Emma Anderson and Siena Marshall (Class of 2027) and Boden Walker (who graduated last year).
“The Yellow Tulip Club is really very active. We meet weekly. We make ourselves very present in all ways,” Kimball said, adding that the founder was motivated to start the club after losing two friends to suicide in a relatively short period of time, “She really wanted to start raising awareness around suicide prevention and mental health in general, because there’s such a stigma about talking about it, and that prevents people from getting the help that they need. She really wanted to break down those barriers.”
It was actually Emma Anderson, the club’s current president, who put the upcoming March 30 community training on the agenda, Kimball said. “Emma attended a suicide prevention training with this Key 365 organization, and asked if we could bring it [to BBA], and we started planning. And, that was back in October or November. In January and February, we had two suicides in our community that were very tragic and obviously close to home.”
One of those suicides was a BBA student and the other was an alumni, a child of one of the school’s faculty “and very beloved in the community.”
According to Anderson, “One way that the Burr and Burton group is smashing the stigma is through [the March 30] suicide prevention training. I personally have completed this training, and that is when I had the idea to bring it as an option for students and faculty at BBA, and others in the community. I joined Yellow Tulip because I am very passionate about mental health advocacy. The Yellow Tulip Club is such a positive influence in the BBA community, and it really makes a difference.”
The group continues to expand its presence, said Kimball. “Each year, our group becomes more active and engaged, and this year is no exception. Siena, our VP, is currently organizing a community 5k on April 26. The YTP mission means a great deal to them all, and they approach it with genuine passion and determination.”
Other projects include a double-header hockey game; participation in Stratton 24; a faculty/student basketball game, along with a hype-video; a mental health awareness “I Am More” project of interested community members; a Spring Fest club awareness booth with face painting, inflatable ax throwing, and swag; a tulip bulb fundraiser for Mother’s Day; the planting of tulip hope gardens; an off-campus Wellness Workshop Day with a silent wooded walk, guided meditation, yoga, arts and crafts, group therapy, and more; bracelet, sweatshirt, cocoa, lemonade, 50/50 raffles, and other fundraisers; concession stands and bake sales; and donations to other organizations.
The group also works to do simple “random acts of kindness” throughout the campus community.
Talking with the 9th grade Wellness Classes and sharing their own stories and journeys with mental health, wearing green for Mental Health Awareness Day, regularly posting on Instagram, and hosting themed film screenings, are all ways to meaningfully connect with others interested in the issue.
The training on March 30 is one of the group’s ways of promoting meaningful action to raise awareness and understanding.
“On March 30, we have Deb Casello from Keys 365 coming to give a community-wide suicide prevention training at the school in the evening,” said Kimball. “The next day, during school, Deb Casello will give another one – geared toward teens – to interested students who sign up. Then, she will give some training to our Psychology classes on resilience.”
The interactive training will focus on early intervention and participants will learn to recognize warning signs; ask directly about suicide and use supportive language; build empathy, confidence, and practical skills to help others; and learn how to connect with help and assistance.
To sign up and attend the March 30 event at BBA, visit bit.ly/4rJdMqN.
