Senior Curtis Hayes (C.J.) walked through Smoky Hills hallways today, Sept. 3, with a sign that read “Be yourself”. His goal was for  people to feel good about themselves and show them that suicide is not the way.

C.J.’s goal was to raise awareness and to stop teenagers with depression from committing suicide.Mayo clinic researchers concluded that the suicide rate for patients with depression is 2 to 9 percent. Depression is a medical and mental condition that requires treatment, despite friends or family’s best efforts to help. Health magazine stated that a way to help anyone who is depressed is by listening to them.

“I want to let you know that I am here for you and I’m willing to talk to anybody that’s feeling down,” Hayes said.

The poem written by Hayes was for students to love themselves even with their insecurities. “I think of the insecurity about us make us a better person or stronger person. Once we love our insecurities we really love ourselves,” Hayes said.

I believe in you and honor you

You have been put down, deep enough to feel the underground. You feel hurt, anger, pain, judgement from strangers or even from family, friends and your neighbors. You have self disappointment, insecurities seem to keep growing because you feel love is not showing you go to bed sleepless and get up with stress. You try ways to rearrange your complex but you feel it never works after you tried your best. You wake up afraid about who’s going to say or do this to you next. You ask yourself, is your life really worth living in this wreck. You cry, you scream for the love and respect. Love for yourself you always neglect. You contemplate on self conflict, deep down inside you know it would be nonsense because of your common sense. Help is what you’re wanting actually what you’re needing. You have reasons but pain it keeps you from believing, you feel your dreams are deceiving. You feel life is an enemy and that it’s defeating. Please don’t end it, I know how you’re feelings look in the mirror see yourself think high enough to break the ceiling. look at yourself and say I love you. Do not stop until you feel it!! Look at yourself forgive your past and know that if you lived it you already defeated. Look at yourself realized you’re a winner. Every day every season; realize that your reasons appears because it believes in you and wants you to keep believing. Realize if you dreamed it you can achieve it. Realize love is what you have and love is what you are. Realize waking up is the goals and achievements that you are receiving. Look at yourself say I love you and no one can stop me from believing. You may fall but getting up is where you’re succeeding.

                                    —–C.J. Hayes

When you put your feelings into words you feel less mad and less sad as stated in Science 2.0. “Sometimes when we’re depressed or sad I want them (you) to write it out and express their (your) feelings through writing,” Hayes said.