SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM ❚ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2018 ❚ 3A
Teaching parents about online risks
Poetry
Continued from Page 1A
Justin Much
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
As a school resource officer, Keizer
Police Sgt. Trevor Wenning has seen a
number of reports about bullying and
thoughts of suicide by young people.
He’s also seen a direct connection
between those reports and social
media. For that reason, he’s created a
social media workshop for parents so
they can better understand social media
behavior and risks.
Silverton Together is hosting “Youth
& Technology: Are Our Children At
Risk?” a social media informational
geared for parents with children ages 10
to 17 years. Presented by the Keizer Po-
lice Department, the workshop takes
Suicides
place at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 28, at the Com-
munity Center, 421 S. Water St.
“Parents need to know what is hap-
pening online these days and how they
can better monitor and protect their
children,” Silverton Together Program
Coordinator Jan Holowati said. “Social
Media is a topic that comes up in every
parenting class that contains parents of
children over 10 years of age. Parents are
having problems with discovering what
their child is doing online and how to
control what they are doing online.”
Wenning itemized a number of issues
he’s detected over time, including cy-
berbullying, sexting and harassment.
One common scenario he described is
where teen couples share nude photos,
then a breakup occurs and the bitter re-
percussion involves the scorned sharing
or posting the ex’s photo.
“There are a lot of sex crimes that
are associated with sexting,” he said.
The workshop aims to sort out the
various social media scenarios.
“I go over the crimes with the par-
ents and give them examples of how
their juvenile son or daughter could
end up in the justice system from ille-
gal online behavior,” Wenning said.
Wenning said if more parents mon-
itor social media, it would free up
school resource officers to focus on
weightier issues.
“I feel strongly enough about it that
I’m trying to get the word out – and it’s
free,” he said.
For information, contact Holowati
at 503-873-0405 or janh@waveca-
ble.com.
Warning signs of suicide
What to do
❚ Talking about wanting to die
❚ Sleeping too little or too much
Continued from Page 1A
❚ Looking for a way to kill oneself
❚ Withdrawing or feeling isolated
considered suicide over the previous 12
months.
Statewide, in 2015, there were 695
hospitalizations of youth 24-and-under
for self-inflicted injury/attempted sui-
cide, according to the OHA report.
Following the January suicide in Sil-
verton, counseling and crisis teams met
with students at Silverton High and
Central Howell schools to provide sup-
port. A memorial service was held at the
high school Feb. 8.
After last year’s suicide, district ad-
ministrators invited students from
grades 7-12 and their parents to come
hear a presentation by Oregon mom An-
gie Welty and her young adult son, Cody,
a suicide attempt survivor, about men-
tal health.
“I became very humbled about what
mental illness really is and what it looks
like,” Angie Welty said in a radio inter-
view with KINK 101.9. “Because, as a
mom, it’s not what you think it is.”
Silver Falls’ day-to-day suicide pre-
vention efforts are more of a long-term
campaign, Bellando said. This year
most district staff will receive two hours
of training in the QPR – Question, Per-
suade, Respond – approach to preven-
tion.
“This is an evidence-based model,
which teaches how to recognize the
signs, how to ask the questions and
❚ Talking about feeling hopeless or
having no purpose
❚ Showing rage or talking about seeking
revenge
❚ Talking about feeling trapped or in
unbearable pain
❚ Displaying extreme mood swings
❚ Talking about being a burden to oth-
ers
icas en Espanol, a bilingual presenta-
tion, will air poems by three Latin
American poets, in original Spanish
and English Translation, at Mt. Angel
Abbey Coffee Shop.
That evening, attendees can hear
from the author and some of the poets
who created the recently published
book “Durable Goods: An Appreciation
of Oregon Poets.” Author Erik Muller
and three poets will speak from 7 to 9
p.m. at the White Steeple Gallery.
The festival’s finale on Sunday, Feb.
25 features readings from five poets,
from 1:30-3:30 p.m., at Mt. Angel Ab-
bey Library Auditorium.
For more information, call 503-269-
7895 or log on to www.silvertonpoet-
ry.net.
❚ The more of these signs a person
shows, the greater the risk. Warning
signs are associated with suicide but
may not be what causes a suicide.
❚ Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
❚ Acting anxious, agitated or recklessly
If someone you know exhibits warning
signs of suicide:
❚ Do not leave the person alone
❚ Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs
or sharp objects that could be used in a
suicide attempt
❚ Call the U.S. National Suicide Preven-
tion Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255)
❚ Take the person to an emergency
room or seek help from a medical or
mental health professional
Information provided by www.Repor-
tingOnSuicide.org
what to do after that,” said trainer Kris-
tilyn Woolner, suicide prevention con-
sultant with Willamette Education Ser-
vice District. “This training really
stresses asking questions directly, not
in a roundabout way.”
She tells trainees to “assume you’re
the only one who knows,” when some-
one is suicidal – to act, rather than ex-
pecting that someone else will.
This fall, the high school also called in
representatives from Oregon Youthline,
a 24-7 phone teen crisis helpline, to ex-
plain their services in freshman health
classes.
Another tool for preventing suicide is
Silverton High’s two-tiered risk assess-
ment protocol. A targeted conversation
with a possibly suicidal student consti-
tutes a Level 1 risk assessment. Roughly
an hourlong conversation between a
student and counselor, this screening is
designed to expose risk factors.
“We ask about withdrawal, hopeless-
ness, conflicts with family or friends or
any recent losses,” said freshman class
counselor Kevin Ortega. “Some of the
risk factors are suicide ideation, intent,
means and a plan.”
Parents or guardians are notified and
included in the process because, “we
can keep eyes on students at school, but
it’s crucial to have an adult helping keep
them safe at home,” Ortega said.
If a Level 1 assessment reveals sub-
stantial risk factors, Silverton High
turns to experts with Marion County
Health for help: “By definition, Level 2
care means bringing in outside mental
health workers,” he said.
These professionals with Youth and
Family Crisis Services, a new youth-
specific division, will come to the high
school – or even a student’s home – to
meet with a whole family to refer a stu-
dent to services ranging from inpatient
programs to professional care.
New this year to Silverton High, Orte-
ga said he’s impressed by the school
staff ’s ability to track and help at-risk
students with a personal touch that de-
fies the large size of the student body.
Harder to spot are those students who
appear to be succeeding but feel so de-
pressed they may be silently consider-
ing suicide.
“I hope we can erase the stigma sur-
rounding talking about mental health,”
Woolner said. “It’s a community effort
to save our children.”
February 23, 2018
at Silverton Wine Bar & Bistro
MEET T H E B R O K ER S
CHRISTY MARSING BARBER
541.204.2163
JOSHUA M. GORRELL
Come meet the brokers of Cascadia Mt. Realty! Christy Marsing Barber,
Joshua Gorrell and Joshua Barber will be in the banquet room of the Silverton
Wine Bar & Bistro, Friday, February 23, 2018, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm
and would love to meet you! This casual event will have a no-host bar and
appetizers will be provided. Enter to win one of our prizes!
SEE YOU ON FEBRUARY 23 RD !
Have mortgage questions?
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will be on hand to answer any of your lending questions.