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Student Member FAQ

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Frequently Asked Questions about Hope Squad:

  • Would we have days that we would just talk about what has happened?  Would we have days where the Hope Squad would just destress?

    • That is the plan!  The idea is that we would be having our meetings during advisory time where we would do "Character Strong" lessons some days and Hope Squad lessons on other days.  Part of the Hope Squad curriculum is working on mindfulness and discussing what is going on with our lives and ways to destress.

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  • Would this interfere with sports in any way?

    • No, it shouldn’t.  Our plan is for all of our Hope Squad training to be done during Advisory if all goes as planned.  We will be hosting a Hope Week where there will be in school activities, but shouldn’t interfere with other activities that you participate in.

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  • Are there any fees for joining Hope Squad?

    • Not that I am aware of…….We will need to get t-shirts but I, Mrs. Young, do not know what the plan is for that at this time.

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  • What kind of training is there?

    • We will be scheduling a day or two at the end of summer for our big training and get to know you activities.  Then we will meet weekly during advisory to work through the Hope Squad curriculum.

 

  • Is there a rope/activity cord if I stay in all 4 years?

    • Not at this time, however this is open for discussion.  When the first group enters their senior year, this could be a possibility that we will discuss.

 

  • How, exactly, will we be helping people?
    • By being a sounding board, friend, and monitor (of sorts).  Students will be approaching you if they are struggling, knowing that you are there to listen.  You will also be looking for students who seem to be “not themselves” or “raise a red flag” in conversations that you have with them.  If it seems like something serious, you will notify one of the advisors to take next steps in helping them.  Your job is to be the eyes and ears of the school.

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  • What will be required of me as a Hope Squad member?

    • As a Hope Squad member, your role is to be a good listener.  You will be identified as a safe person for your peers to talk to when they are struggling. You will be trained to listen for key words and phrases or changes in behavior that signal you that something is wrong.  Your job is to notify one of your advisors (Young, Allsopp, Devine, Hagy, Taylor, Ratigan) that we need to reach out to that particular student so they can get help.

    • Your job isn’t to fix anything.  Your job isn’t to council.  Your job isn’t to give advice.  Your job is to listen and observe and notify us when something isn’t right.  

    • You will be *hopefully* part of a Hope Squad advisory class where we will do both CharacterStong activities AND Hope Squad activities.  We will focus on the mental health of not just your classmates but for you as “go to” listeners of the school.

    • We will have a Hope Week in February(?) where we will have different activities happening during the school day (kind of like Mental Health Awareness Month) where you as a team will decide what activities we will do.

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  • Who was chosen to be a part of Hope Squad?

    • Hope squad members were all nominated by their peers to be kind, responsible, easy listeners…. Good people!  Most students who were nominated showed up to our informational meeting, but not everyone could make it.

    • Our next step is making sure that you are ready to be a member and can be on campus when we have our meetings.  We also want to make sure that you are ready to be there for your peers and listen to their struggles-Your job is NOT to fix their problems, just to listen and let us (advisors) know if we need to follow up with someone.  Once we see that you are a good fit, we will have a parent meeting to make sure your parents think you are ready too.

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  • Will this be counted as a club in Skyward?

    • No.  There is a procedural process to becoming a club on campus.  If the leaders of Hope Squad would like to establish it as a club, it will be pursued through an  ASB process.

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  • What will the out of school activities and plans consist of?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

    • ​​​​​​​Right now we will have a training at the end of summer/beginning of the school year, weekly meetings during advisory, and Hope Week (during school hours, I think)

 

  • Are there any leadership positions available like president or vice-president?

    • No.  If Hope Squad establishes itself as a club, then leadership positions may become available.  However, Hope Squad is not intended to be a club, but a program for students to help promote and support mental well being.

 

  • How time consuming will Hope Squad be?

    • Should not be much, if any, outside of school time except for our initial training day.

 

  •  How does this really work?  Do students come to us or do we get assigned people?

    • Students will know that you are an identified “safe” person to talk to.  So if they are in need of someone to talk to, they will seek out people from Hope Squad to confide in.  

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  • Will Running Start students still be able to participate?

    • That is the plan.  We still don’t know what advisory will look like next year, but hopefully we would be able to have our Running Start kids here on Fridays to meet.  We might be able to put our lessons online as well.  This is a work in progress so we don’t have all of the answers, but we do want to have Hope Squad representation for our Running Start students as well as those full time on our campus if at all possible.