Activities offered to help students cope with loss

With the recent deaths of three high school students (two from LHS and another from Warren Township), a former LHS student and a retired staff member, Libertyville High School has offered support to those who are struggling.

Junior and Student Council Executive Board member Emily Regan expressed the importance of standing together and suggested opportunities to help with grief.  

“I think it’s obviously really painful, heartbreaking, and really unimaginable, but I’m personally super proud of the community with how they’ve rebounded and all of the actions that we’ve taken to kind of overcome and remember those who were lost,” stated Regan.

Regan added that staying positive and remembering those who were lost is also important. “I think that it’s really important to not just focus on it now and kind of forget about it, which I feel like often happens in the face of tragedy, but I feel like it’s important to keep remembering those who were lost, keep celebrating their lives, and to keep doing things to celebrate life just in the community and stay positive, stay kind, and a few things like that,” she said.

Among numerous activities designed by social workers and members of Student Council, Regan especially highlighted a few that classmates could participate in.

Adult coloring books located in the LSTs have offered an “escape from talking and emphasizing your emotions through art,” said Ms. Amy Fitzgerald, social worker in the Q-Z LST.

Origami paper cranes can be made to serve as a symbol of hope and healing. On the cranes, it is encouraged to write a phrase or motivational thought that synthesizes the impression of getting through the difficult times together. As a philanthropic movement in the near future, Student Council is planning on hanging the cranes in the front foyer or in the display case, Regan said.

On Dec. 6, located in Dr. Brenda Nelson’s room, Ms. Fitzgerald’s two certified therapy dogs, Lila and Klover, offered a time for students to relax during the day and to ease their stress.

Additionally, the school encourages those who are struggling to reach out to counselors, social workers, and Dr. Nelson, the wellness and prevention coordinator.