Recent suicides at Langley HS?

[Anonymous]

What can we do? Now?
Who else is hurting and feeling hopeless?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What can we do? Now?
Who else is hurting and feeling hopeless?

1) Take solace in the fact that there are a lot of adults fighting on the kids' behalf
2) Kids need to be told that it WILL get better and their life, in fact, does NOT hinge on straight As or certain colleges
3) That parents are people with their own demons. That their behavior is not always a reflection of you, their kids, and that they can be dead wrong on things sometimes. Listen to your inner voice.
4) Hurt heals with time. So does hopelessness. Given enough time, things usually work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What can we do? Now?
Who else is hurting and feeling hopeless?

1) Take solace in the fact that there are a lot of adults fighting on the kids' behalf
2) Kids need to be told that it WILL get better and their life, in fact, does NOT hinge on straight As or certain colleges
3) That parents are people with their own demons. That their behavior is not always a reflection of you, their kids, and that they can be dead wrong on things sometimes. Listen to your inner voice.
4) Hurt heals with time. So does hopelessness. Given enough time, things usually work out.

I find it troubling that adults NEED to be fighting on their kids' behalf, especially at Langley. Who are they fighting?
The Fairfax County School Board?
The principal?
The teachers?
Media hype on academia?

The craziness needs to stop now, not wait for the "future". Or must we first wait for more tragedies?

Langley (and other schools) can offer regular monthly faculty and parent education about what's really most important in growing healthy young people, starting next week. It isn't the kid's course list and grades, or activity list.

The pain of two deceased 17 year old students, who were so burdened with unbareable hardship, will never go away or get better. We'll have to deal with it every day for the rest of our lives, and ask ourselves what might we have done differently.

Let's all reexamine our priorities and ask what really matters. It just can't be "how good you look", with your school's status or your kid's college acceptance.

[Anonymous]

Reminder, the Admin asked that the AP discussion be taken to the new thread....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reminder, the Admin asked that the AP discussion be taken to the new thread....

How long have you been on DCUM? Am wondering if admin doesn't do the level of policing you want. I guess your device can get blocked. But I don't know if honest expansion of the thread topic is that kind of offense. I get that you don't like the thread title. Why are you this adamently opposed to honestly evolving discussion?

Has it been confirmed that neither student had any AP classes?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reminder, the Admin asked that the AP discussion be taken to the new thread....

How long have you been on DCUM? Am wondering if admin doesn't do the level of policing you want. I guess your device can get blocked. But I don't know if honest expansion of the thread topic is that kind of offense. I get that you don't like the thread title. Why are you this adamently opposed to honestly evolving discussion?

Has it been confirmed that neither student had any AP classes?

You sort of answered your own question there, didn't you? Should this thread "evolve" to include discussion of varsity football and concert piano? Note, I have no idea of either of the two individuals were involved in sports or music, but apparently that is no reason to avoid discussing such topics.

There have been at least two spin-off threads from this one. If neither of those adequately addresses AP classes, please start another one. But, please don't hijack this thread with unrelated discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I note that people are quick to say it was depression but keep denying that the atmosphere of the school contributed. I have heard quite a number of parents complain about the way this school is run. Not a healthy atmosphere the administration needs to do more than stage a pep rally prayer vigil and think harder about how teens are being affected by the policies and unfairness of the school. Two suicides in one week sends a pretty strong message

I'm wondering why everyone is blaming Langley (or any one reason or one school) for these deaths, when other schools in the area have also had students who committed suicide. Woodson had 4 (2013 and 2011), Woodbridge had 1 (2013), and South Lakes (2009). Not to mention the many teens nationwide who have died this way. Why should Langley be the scapegoat? Because a few vocal DCUM-ers want to air their past problems here and make it sound like everyone at the school must be unhappy? Take a look around whatever school your own child goes to before throwing stones at Langley.

None of those schools had two in one year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I note that people are quick to say it was depression but keep denying that the atmosphere of the school contributed. I have heard quite a number of parents complain about the way this school is run. Not a healthy atmosphere the administration needs to do more than stage a pep rally prayer vigil and think harder about how teens are being affected by the policies and unfairness of the school. Two suicides in one week sends a pretty strong message

I'm wondering why everyone is blaming Langley (or any one reason or one school) for these deaths, when other schools in the area have also had students who committed suicide. Woodson had 4 (2013 and 2011), Woodbridge had 1 (2013), and South Lakes (2009). Not to mention the many teens nationwide who have died this way. Why should Langley be the scapegoat? Because a few vocal DCUM-ers want to air their past problems here and make it sound like everyone at the school must be unhappy? Take a look around whatever school your own child goes to before throwing stones at Langley.

None of those schools had two in one year.

Actually, Woodson did last year.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/w.t.-woodson-high-school-roiled-by-three-student-deaths-this-year/article/2528189

The situation at Langley got more attention because these death happened the same week, and the community actually reached out and welcomed support from other areas. And it gets attention on DCUM because there is one ex-Langley parent with a child now at Bullis who posts about her unhappiness with Langley frequently here, on her Twitter account, and on a personal web site.

[Anonymous]

And now she's holding court at the 2 spin off threads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And now she's holding court at the 2 spin off threads.

Have you a vendetta on her? Why not argue the issues, rather than your personal cat fight? There's more than one person with serious concerns here. You can't shut down the discussion here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I note that people are quick to say it was depression but keep denying that the atmosphere of the school contributed. I have heard quite a number of parents complain about the way this school is run. Not a healthy atmosphere the administration needs to do more than stage a pep rally prayer vigil and think harder about how teens are being affected by the policies and unfairness of the school. Two suicides in one week sends a pretty strong message

I'm wondering why everyone is blaming Langley (or any one reason or one school) for these deaths, when other schools in the area have also had students who committed suicide. Woodson had 4 (2013 and 2011), Woodbridge had 1 (2013), and South Lakes (2009). Not to mention the many teens nationwide who have died this way. Why should Langley be the scapegoat? Because a few vocal DCUM-ers want to air their past problems here and make it sound like everyone at the school must be unhappy? Take a look around whatever school your own child goes to before throwing stones at Langley.

None of those schools had two in one year.

Woodson had THREE in 2013! What are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the things that the kids were depressed about are known I just don't think anyone thought it would rise to the level of taking their own lives. That's the thing about depression it is irrational-- it's a disease that unless you have it or have had it you have trouble understanding.

That is not true. Depression can have some really specific causes. Remove those causes and depression lifts.

You clearly aren't familiar with depression on a personal level. You're talking about stress, or maybe sadness. Depression is a disease which affects brain chemistry. If left untreated, it can lead to suicide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the things that the kids were depressed about are known I just don't think anyone thought it would rise to the level of taking their own lives. That's the thing about depression it is irrational-- it's a disease that unless you have it or have had it you have trouble understanding.

That is not true. Depression can have some really specific causes. Remove those causes and depression lifts.

You clearly aren't familiar with depression on a personal level. You're talking about stress, or maybe sadness. Depression is a disease which affects brain chemistry. If left untreated, it can lead to suicide.

You clearly need some continuing education:

1. Depression typically STARTS with extreme stress and/or sadness.
2. If the issues are not productively and effectively dealt with, they tend to escalate.
3. Everything affects brain chemistry, Einstein.

[Anonymous]

At TL's memorial service yesterday, his football coach said he'd been battling 'this disease every minute of every day for three years' and the family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to a fund to help educate teens about mental illness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At TL's memorial service yesterday, his football coach said he'd been battling 'this disease every minute of every day for three years' and the family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to a fund to help educate teens about mental illness.

For three years. Since his freshman year. Very sad.