Howell High School has faced almost one student suicide per year in recent times. This year, students have taken it upon themselves to help.

HHS sophomore Machiela Boven is a part of the group of students who want to make a difference, and have set up a suicide memorial for early June.

“We’re promoting the suicide prevention group at Howell. We’re supporting families or anyone who has lost someone from suicide,” Boven says.

The memorial will be on Saturday, June 7. It will start at 4 p.m. at the high school near the rock (the M-59 entrance). Around 5:30 p.m., people will be invited to walk along the sidewalks from the school to the Howell courthouse downtown. Local troops will be among the walkers, and everyone from Livingston County, not just students, is invited to walk in the suicide memorial.

“We’re encouraging people to bring posters with pictures of the people they’ve lost and banners with quotes on them,” Boven says.

When they arrive at the courthouse, Boven says they hope speakers will address the group. People like a local pastor and the influential speaker Jim Tuman are going to be invited. Afterwards, there will be a candlelight ceremony and maybe some music. The event should end around 9 p.m.

Schools all around Livingston County will be involved in promoting the memorial, including Pinckney and Brighton schools. Boven is organizing posters and cards to spread the word around HHS. By the end, they hope the memorial will influence people to organize memorials in their own cities.

“We want people to take what we’re doing and take it to another city and another state,” Boven says.

Inspiration for the group and the memorial came from personal experiences. Members of the group have known people who have committed suicide and want to help people who have gone through what they have.

“We want to tell people that there’s always someone you can go to. We want to be there for people,” Boven says.