Members of the WBHS Youth Impact Club learn to recognize the warning signs of a mental crisis
By Hope Schensema, Current Staff
A new training technique is being implemented for suicide prevention at the West Bend High Schools.
The WBHS Youth Impact Club, led by West social studies teacher Jacqueline Schmoldt, is currently being trained in QPR. This stands for “question, persuade, and refer.” The training revolves around identifying warning signs of individuals possibly considering suicide and how to act accordingly. Similar to CPR, QPR is a live-saving technique for a mental crisis.
The QPR training, which started in September, will take place throughout the school year for Youth Impact Club members. Each training session is split into four blocks during four resource periods. Schmoldt, who is a certified QPR instructor, will lead multiple sessions throughout the school year and hopes to have all Youth Impact members trained by the end of the school year.
“Our club advocates for mental well-being and suicide prevention, so we decided it would be incredibly beneficial to provide this training to our members as well,” said Youth Impact Club president Zach Church.
Schmoldt has begun to expand the QPR training to her psychology classes as well as some of the staff at the West Bend High School. She would like to expand this training to the Advanced Placement psychology classes and also her church.
“The more people that have QPR training, the stronger the safety net is for others,” she said.
Following the training, participants will be able to recognize someone who is at risk of suicide, skillfully intervene and refer them to the necessary resources. Those trained will also understand learning signs of suicide, such as direct and indirect verbal cues, and behavioral and situational cues. The trainees will learn the importance of the fact that any clues presented are worth asking about.
“With the students getting trained, they are not only looking out for other students, they’re looking out for their friends and family that aren’t in this school,” Schmoldt said.
“The more people that have QPR training, the stronger the safety net.”
Jacqueline Schmoldt, Youth Impact Club adviser
Another important aspect of the training is learning how to ask someone about suicide in the proper way. Every person is different, so it is necessary to understand whether an indirect or more direct approach is necessary.
The purpose of persuasion is to get the person to agree to get some help. Then the person in crisis can be referred to professionals or another person who can provide help.
“We haven’t lost a student to suicide since 2019, and hopefully we will continue to keep it that way through this safety web of QPR-trained students,” said Church, a senior at West High.
Although only a small number of students are being trained, the safety net continues to be cast out extensively for others. This includes students, teachers, family and friends, whether they are inside the building or not.
“I hope that the impact we have on the community is that it lowers the stigma of mental health and suicide among the residents of West Bend,” said Beckham Heller, West senior and vice president of YIC.
Schmoldt would like to see QPR training extend down to the middle schools. There are also ongoing discussions about bringing the Youth Impact Club to grades 7-8 at Badger Middle School.
(Top image: The most recent group of Youth Impact Club members receive their certificates for completing QPR training on Nov. 8. Photo courtesy of Jacqueline Schmoldt.)
The West Bend Current 
Great job to all! Thank you for writing this, Hope!