A student-led suicide prevention program has taken hold in Spokane-area high schools, growing rapidly since its regional launch in 2023 and earning national recognition for its peer-driven model that trains teenagers to recognize warning signs and connect classmates to help.
From 10 Students to Nearly 80
When Shadle Park High School launched its chapter of Hope Squad three years ago, it started with roughly 10 students. Today, that group has grown to nearly 80 members — and the school was recently recognized as the area’s High School Hope Squad of the Year.
Senior Madison Mann was among the founding members, brought in during the program’s early days by Vice Principal Joel Morris, who approached her directly. “He just explained to me what it was and said that he felt like I would be a really good fit for it,” Mann recalled. The experience proved transformative: “I’ve learned so much more about mental health that I didn’t know before,” she said.
Mann’s story reflects a deliberate design choice built into the Hope Squad model. Members are not self-selected — they are nominated by their peers. The thinking behind this structure is that students who are already trusted by their classmates are better positioned to recognize distress and initiate conversations others might avoid. Junior Nevaeh Ortiz Rodriguez and freshman Rhyker Thulean-O’Harran are among those who came to the program through peer nomination.
A National Model Reaching Northeast Washington
Hope Squad originated in Utah and has since expanded to nearly 2,500 schools across the United States and Canada. The Educational Service District 101 (ESD 101), which oversees 59 school districts throughout Northeast Washington, began bringing the program to the Spokane region in 2023. That effort was made possible through partnerships with the Kellen Cares Foundation, Light a Lamp, Inland Northwest Behavioral Health, and Fail Safe for Life.
Today, approximately 376 students participate in Hope Squad across 14 schools in Spokane Public Schools, the Mead School District, and the East Valley School District.
The program’s training is grounded in the evidence-based QPR model — Question, Persuade, Refer — a widely recognized framework in suicide prevention. Members are also taught the “HOPE Approach,” an acronym standing for Heads Up, Offer, Persuade, and Encourage, giving students concrete steps to follow when a classmate appears to be struggling.
Kirsten Fuchs, Youth Cannabis and Commercial Tobacco Prevention Program Coordinator at ESD 101, and Angella Southerly, founder of Light a Lamp, are among the regional leaders who have helped shepherd the program’s expansion into local schools.
Why It Matters: Teen Mental Health in Washington
The need for programs like Hope Squad is underscored by sobering public health data. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in both Washington state and Spokane County specifically. Data from the Healthy Youth Survey shows that one in three Washington 10th-graders reported feeling nervous, anxious, or unable to control their worrying.
Those numbers point to a generation facing significant mental health challenges — challenges that school counselors and administrators alone cannot fully address. Programs that equip students to look out for one another fill a gap that institutional resources often cannot reach.
While Shadle Park High School is located in Spokane, Washington, the Hope Squad model is operating in communities throughout the broader Inland Northwest region, and the approach has potential relevance for Idaho school districts as families and educators across North Idaho grapple with similar youth mental health pressures.
What Comes Next
With ESD 101 continuing to expand Hope Squad’s reach across its 59-district service area, additional schools may be brought into the program in coming school years. The peer-nomination structure means the program grows organically as students identify classmates they trust — making each new cohort a reflection of the community it serves.
Parents and community members concerned about youth mental health resources can also stay alert to other threats facing seniors and vulnerable populations in the region. A separate public health alert from Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador recently warned seniors about a rising wave of Medicare phone scams — a reminder that public outreach and community awareness remain essential on multiple fronts. More on that alert is available at Bonner County News.