The Swampscott High School Fine Arts Department is pleased to announce its annual Spring Concert and Art Show this Thursday, May 18th, at 7 p.m. in the SHS Auditorium.
The Concert Band, Chorus, Jazz Band, and North Shore Voices
will perform an exciting array of jazz, pop, musical theater and traditional spirituals.
Art work by the students of Ms. Balliro and Ms. Ganci will be on display in the atrium before and after the performance.
The concert is free and open to the public.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As members of the Swampscott Public Schools
Mental Health Task Force, we want to address the recently released Netflix
series 13 Reasons Why. This series is based on a book of the same
title, written by Jay Asher and published in 2007 and 2017. Because of
its significant popularity and the serious issues explicitly depicted –
including drug use, sexual assault, bullying, and suicide -- we feel it is
important to provide some guidance about the series.
13 Reasons Why has
several concerning themes:
- The series explicitly depicts a graphic death by suicide, and portrays it as the only viable option for the main character.
- There is no mention of mental illness, which is the leading cause of death by suicide.
- The adults in her life – her parents, school counselor, and school administrators -- fail the character and her peers over and over.
- There are no examples of appropriate or healthy coping strategies, nor is there any help-seeking that is successful.
- School mental health providers act in unethical and incompetent ways throughout the series.
We strongly urge you to talk with your children
to see if they have read the book and/or watched the series. Anecdotally,
we know that many students in grades 5 and above watched it over April
vacation, frequently without their parents’ knowledge. We recommend
special caution if your child is vulnerable or has had suicidal ideation.
It is a highly suggestive show and could be risky for adolescents who
struggle with isolation or self-harming behavior.
School counselors and mental health
professionals in our district are highly trained professionals whose
competencies include working with susceptible students. Be assured that
the district counseling professionals are thoughtful, intentional, and ethical
in their everyday work with your children. The district has created
resources specifically designed to address our most vulnerable students, such
as the recently created SWIFT and Harbor programs at Swampscott High School,
which will be replicated at Swampscott Middle School next year.
Should you have concerns about your child,
please do not hesitate to contact the counseling staff at your child’s school.
Also refer to the resources below. The mental health professionals,
educators, and administrators stand ready to work with you and your child to
keep them safe and healthy.
Sincerely yours,
Swampscott Public Schools Mental Health Task
Force
RESOURCES
SPS Counseling Staff
Michele
Capozzi, capozzi@swampscott.k12.ma.us
Dylan
Randall, randall@swampscott.k12.ma.us
Rachel Sturma, sturma@swampscott.k12.ma.us
Emily
Zotto Barnum, zotto@swampscott.k12.ma.us
Julie
Mazzola, mazzola@swampscott.k12.ma.us
Other Resources
Considerations for Educators and Parents: https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources/school-safety-and-crisis/preventing-youth-suicide/13-reasons-why-netflix-series-considerations-for-educators
13 Reasons Why Talking Points: https://www.jedfoundation.org/13-reasons-why-talking-points/
What Parents Should Know About 13 Reasons Why: http://riversidetraumacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/13ReasonsWhy.pdf
Preventing Youth Suicide: https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources/school-safety-and-crisis/preventing-youth-suicide
Samaritans of Merrimack Valley: http://www.samaritansusa.org/merrimack.php
Eliot Emergency Psychiatric Services: http://www.eliotchs.org/services/outpatient-services/emergency-services/
