In a world that is becoming increasingly dark, Brad Hawks, senior at Weber High, desires to fill it with something lighter, something better. His message? Hope.

“We want to bring hope to the school and help people feel like they are important,” Hawks said. “Because they matter,” he adds.

For this reason, Hawks has led the Weber High HOPE Squad, acting as its President throughout his senior year of high school. HOPE stands for Hold On, Pause, Encourage and was founded by Dr. Greg Hudnall who initially implemented the program in the Provo school district. It has since proven successful in nearly all school districts in Utah while also spreading across the country.

The HOPE squad acts like an underground organization that sets the tone or atmosphere for the school year, meant to combat the recent and alarming rise in teen suicides. “We set a positive tone because I’ve seen the happiness we spread and the smiles are contagious,” said Hawks. Inside the HOPE Squad is a group of students who are trained to help with mental health awareness and suicide prevention. They are also a team to be nice and spread that goodness throughout the school, without necessarily being recognized for it. Hawks said, “We are the eyes and ears of the counselors. We are trained on the warning signs of suicide and depression. This helps us recognize people in crisis and be able to help them, or get them help.” To that cause, the group tries subtly to be kind.