Darkness Into Vineyard Light

On Martha’s Vineyard, Hope Squad students helped turn Suicide Prevention Month into something people could see, hear, and feel.

Before sunrise, local students, school staff, and community members gathered for the annual Darkness Into Vineyard Light walk, beginning in the dark and walking together toward the morning light.

This year, members of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Hope Squad helped carry the message.

Three Hope Squad members, Lucas Martins, Nate Karlinsky and Esther Coutinho, joined Hope Squad advisor and MVRHS teacher Jack Pachico in speaking about suicide prevention, peer connection and the importance of creating a school community where students feel comfortable asking for help.

For Lucas, a senior, the symbolism of the morning reflected the reason everyone had gathered.

“Suicide is something we think needs to be kept hidden and in the dark… But that’s why we’re here. To bring that darkness into light.”

His message also challenged assumptions about who may be struggling. Mental health challenges do not always look the way we expect them to, and the student who appears happy, involved, or connected may still be carrying something others cannot see.

STUDENTS LOOKING OUT FOR STUDENTS

Junior Nate Karlinsky, one of the original members of the MVRHS Hope Squad, described a program built around students supporting one another.

The school’s Hope Squad includes 32 students nominated by their peers from a student body of approximately 750.

Members are trained to recognize signs that a peer may be struggling and help connect that person with an appropriate adult.

But their work is also about changing the everyday culture of the school.

Nate shared examples from the past year, including providing positive messages and small stress-relief items during midterms and organizing Hope Week, with activities designed to spread kindness, encourage connection and give students healthy ways to express difficult emotions.

“The mission we want to accomplish is to create a school community built around support, inclusivity, and most importantly, hope.”

“SOMETIMES JUST KNOWING THAT SOMEONE CARES CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.”

Sophomore Esther Coutinho looked beyond the walls of the high school and toward what Hope Squad can mean for the entire Island.

She spoke about wanting teens to know they have someone they can talk to without judgment and creating a community where asking for help feels normal.

And she reminded those gathered that suicide prevention does not always begin with a grand gesture.

It can begin by starting a conversation with someone new.

Reaching out to an old friend.

Or simply asking:

“Are you okay?”

“We can’t solve everything overnight, but small things can create big changes,” Esther explained.

That message is at the heart of Hope Squad and Sharing Kindness: connection can begin with one person choosing to notice another.