Pressure deadly for some teens
Counselor: Suicide too common among 'overwhelmed' students

By Brian Hassler
Staff Writer

FARMINGTON — The halls of Navajo Prep have been empty since Monday, but discussion over the safety of students continues to echo among parents and students.

Following the suicide of Kyle Valenzuela, 17, a week ago today in his Navajo Prep dorm room, students were sent home to be with their families with plans of further counseling today when students were scheduled to return to class.

But concerned parents continue to worry about their children's safety and to question why the school hasn't made greater efforts at providing counseling services since school was canceled on Tuesday.

"I am very concerned," said one parent. "I never got a call from the school and I had to hear that school was canceled from another parent. I have a daughter at Navajo Prep and this is the second incident since she started. I think that the kids are being neglected and my daughter is real sad about this, since she knew Kyle well."

While the school didn't contact every parent of every student, Farmington counselor Gordon Nielson feels that the real problems students are dealing with aren't coming from the administration or teachers.

Nielson was called in on Monday evening to provide grief counseling for students and teachers and feels that an overall feeling of depression is prevalent at Navajo Prep.

"There's a general feeling of being overwhelmed," said Nielson. "That's not unusual for adolescents, but with this setting at the school, it's intensified. You have kids, some of them coming from challenged backgrounds. They're generally a long ways from home, they're young and there is a pressure to excel at this sort of school."

Adding to that pressure, said Nielson, is the pressure for students to please not only themselves and their parents but to represent the Navajo Nation in a positive way. He also added that the pressure shouldn't be blamed on the administration of Navajo Prep, but is instead the combination of the pressure to obtain good grades and of being away from family for extended periods of time.

Dealing with that pressure is one thing that Navajo Prep Executive Director Betty Ojaye has seen the school prepare for as students are provided opportunities for counseling.

"We always have counseling at our school through our school and through the Indian Health Services," said Ojaye. "We do have professional counselors here, and students have advisors that they meet with on a daily basis."

While some parents say the students have received the kind of counseling needed, Nielson believes Navajo Prep, as well as most other schools, have underestimated the problems that lead to suicidal behavior.

"The first thing I'd do is put all teachers through training for this," said Nielson. "These kids are in a higher risk because they are away from home, and the pressures to do well are so great.

"Not only do they need training in recognizing suicidal behavior but also in crisis intervention, and that would be good for every school."

Dealing with cultural limitations, which don't generally encourage the discussion of depressed feelings, is another concern, but Nielson pointed to lack of conversation about the topic as the biggest challenge.

"When these things happen, people don't talk about it," he said. "For some reason they think it's like a cold that will be passed on, but the students and children need to have the chance to talk about it and learn from it. It points out a need for not just a school, but entire communities to be better prepared and willing to discuss these issues."