Community grieves loss of KJH students

Published 5:00 am Tuesday, May 30, 2006

North Kitsap is mourning the tragic loss of Blake Whitworth of Hansville who died May 13 and Zachary Kvistad of Kingston who died May 15, 14-year-old Kingston Junior High students who took their own lives. The Kingston Community News extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the boys.

Though the Kitsap County Coroner’s Office stated that the two died by hanging in acts of suicide, the boys’ families have said in news reports that the deaths were unfortunate accidents with no notes or other evidence left behind to indicate otherwise.

A female friend of Whitworth was expelled from KJH after authorities learned of threats she allegedly made on the Web site myspace.com to those who may have bullied him, according to the North Kitsap School District. On May 16, KJH was locked down as Washington State Patrol and Kitsap County Sheriff deputies entered the school to search classrooms, lockers and student backpacks to ensure that students were safe.

It wasn’t until a week afterwards that the coroner’s office released details of its investigation and finally ruled the cause of death for both boys was suicide.

The tragic loss of life and confusing circumstances surrounding the deaths have caused a wave of grief throughout the community. It’s also been a wake-up call for parents and educators to talk with children on a deeper emotional level, learn to identify depression and seek support through programs such as the Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force, address peer pressure by utilizing anti-bullying programs set up in the schools, and monitor more closely Internet use by children.

Below we’ve reprinted an article by Wendy Tweten that ran in the May 2005 issue of the Kingston Community News on ways to find help in dealing with grief and depression.

Our deepest sympathies go out to those families that have suffered the loss of children. We hope this will help prevent further tragedy.

Ways to heal, where to find help

By Wendy Tweten

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published in the May 2005 issue of Kingston Community News. It has been slightly edited but provides important information we’d like to share with our readers again.)

My family is certainly not the only one touched by loss these last few years. In many ways, Kingston is still a small community and the pain of loss, especially evident in the recent deaths of so many of our young – and young at heart – reaches out even to those who never met the deceased.

Many of us in Kingston open the newspapers and grieve in our hearts along with the victim’s family and friends. But there are also hands-on ways for us to come together and help those left behind. In doing so, we help ourselves.

Preventing tragedy

The best strategy for dealing with tragedy is to prevent it from ever happening – the goal of the Life Is Valuable program. LIV relies on a mix of community members, teachers, counselors, students and parents to form its Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force. Based in North Kitsap, LIV is affiliated with the statewide Youth Suicide Prevention Program and was organized in 2003 following the first of three North Kitsap High School student suicides within two years.

Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the U.S., and the most treatable. A teen who is clinically depressed can no more “snap out of” his or her condition than can a diabetic. There is no typical suicide victim; it is not unheard of for families and friends to never see it coming.

Support groups

Jan Kerman, a group grief counselor at North Kitsap High School, explained that grief is exhausting and distracting to kids and adults.

“Grief equals loss; not necessarily death. Those grieving deeply may not begin to feel normal for several years,” she said.

Hospice of Kitsap County sponsors Kerman’s in-school support groups. Hospice is a valuable resource for bereavement care, providing assessment and referral services; resources are offered for every type of bereavement.

“As difficult as grief is, it can also give us wisdom, an appreciation of life, and show us how strong we are,” Kerman said.

Where to find help

Grief counseling: Contact Hospice of Kitsap County for a full range of bereavement services and referrals at (360) 698-4611 or Kitsap Mental Health’s 24-hour crisis hotline at (360) 479-3033 or toll free at (800) 843-4793; or seek out qualified counselors, spiritual leaders or support groups. For bereavement information visit www.hospiceofkitsapcounty.org.

Suicide prevention: For immediate aid call the LIV 24-hour emergency hotline at 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) or Kitsap Mental Health’s 24-hour crisis hotline at (360) 479-3033, toll free (800) 843-4793. To become involved with suicide prevention, contact North Kitsap LIV Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force at NK_LIV@comcast net, Kitsap Suicide Prevention Task Force at KitsapSPTF@comcastnet or find other facts about youth suicide prevention at to www.yspp.org.