During the week of March 20, the campus of Cathedral Catholic High School (CCHS) was painted yellow from the combination of ASB decorations and the approved Yellow Ribbon Week spirit attire. Yellow Ribbon Week is an annual suicide prevention movement that empowers students through education and awareness.

Each weekday was dedicated to making students feel seen and loved— starting with their teachers. On Monday morning, students were welcomed into their first period class by handwritten notes from their Gold 4 teacher. These cards expressed admiration for each student by reminding them of fond memories, student-standout moments, and flattering their work ethic or presence in class.

By Tuesday, students were surrounded by prevention posters from the Psych 114 class, alongside the existing ASB posters. Many of these posters outlined the findings of correlational studies regarding students’ mood. This helps students to be aware of the habits that tarnish their mood so that they can avoid these patterns, and in return avoid major depressive episodes.

Maisyn Clements ‘24 recalls, “I know from my Psych class that prevention is an important solution to mental health… I loved participating in the studies and it was cool reading about the findings on my way to class.”

Wednesday was the peak of Yellow Ribbon Week’s celebration. All day, students anticipated the Club Carnival at lunch, where clubs sold food from Board ‘n Brew to Chick-fil-a in hopes to fundraise for their club’s mission.

Students bought tickets from ASB, each equating to one dollar, in order to purchase food from clubs. However, these tickets could also be used for activities hosted by ASB during the 80 minute lunch break: the petting zoo, bubble soccer, and inflatable obstacle courses.

On Thursday, a public speaker, Julia Broglie, came to visit CCHS students. She is a mental health advocate and co-founder of the mental health resource, the BroglieBox. The intention of this presentation was to break the stigma around mental health in society so that students are comfortable and more likely to seek help on campus.

Michelle Carroll of the CCHS Counseling Office describes the speech’s objective as a connection “on a personal level by sharing her own mental health journey, including her diagnosis with anxiety and depression and coping with the loss of her brother by suicide.”

The counseling office was available for support before, during, and after Broglie’s visit. They also provide free services through Evolve Therapy San Diego twice a week: one targeting body positivity, and the other to manage stress, anxiety, and depression.

To end the week, CCHS partnered with nonprofit organization Love on a Leash to bring comfort, happiness, and healing through pet-therapy on campus.

Students appreciate the hard work that went into organizing these celebrations and precautions to protect their mental health. Remember, you are loved during Yellow Ribbon Week (and always)!