During
the 2003-2004 academic year, the suicides of three public
high school freshmen in Fond du Lac sent emotional ripples
around the school district. Bernadette Seefeld, 18, and
now a senior at St. Mary’s Springs High School
had attended the same elementary school as one of the
students. Because the boy was two years younger and attended
Fond du Lac High School, Seefeld never knew him personally,
but several freshmen at St. Mary had, and talk circulated
among students.
“A lot of people were left wondering why he decided to do that,” Seefeld
said. “There was a lot of shock, and a lot of questioning, especially among
his friends.”
A 2004 Fond du Lac School District survey found 26 percent of respondents felt
so overwhelmed they considered suicide in the past year. Tragically, those results
and the three student deaths reflect a growing problem nationwide. The American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry lists suicide as the third leading
cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds.
Catholic
Herald Parenting is a supplement of the Catholic Herald
published eight times annually, September to May. It is
intended to help parents pass on the Catholic faith to
their children.
