Students from Flathead and Glacier high schools used one of the valley’s top rivalries to send a visible message of hope and solidarity by wearing yellow for suicide prevention awareness during September and October. 

The student-led effort, organized by the Flathead Wellness Association, brought members from both high schools together around a shared goal — letting students know they are not alone; they are valued and their community cares. 

Members wearing shirts that stated "You Are Enough" met at Flathead High School on Sept. 23 and sorted through 1,500 yellow wristbands to hand out before the Oct. 15 Crosstown football game. The goal was to have everyone in the student section wearing at least one yellow item. 

"I would say that all of us are probably here because either we personally have had experiences or we've seen our friends suffer a lot with our mental health," Glacier senior Annabelle Church said. 

Over the past two months, athletes, cheerleaders, marching band members and other students have worn yellow socks, bows, ribbons, wristbands, shirts or waved yellow rally towels, demonstrating that mental health wellness and suicide prevention is much bigger than school rivalry. 

"We're fierce rivals, but something we all agree on is that we want to create a connected community, and a supportive community where wellness is something that we can all do, and we can all support," Flathead counselor Lisa Sears said. 

"And we'll still look out for each other," Glacier junior Reid Sanders said. 

The visibility was intentional. Students said focusing on student athletes at competitions attended by community members helped the message reach more people, while the shirts and yellow accessories created openings for classmates to ask questions or seek support. 

"The goal for this project is to show the community too that we care, just like as a youth, between the two schools, both of us," Church said. 

The project began taking shape over the summer as association members secured donations to purchase yellow accessories and worked with activity directors to get permission for athletes to modify their usual uniforms. 

THE EFFORT is part of the association’s broader goal to reduce stigma around mental health, normalize conversations among peers and encourage students to seek help before a crisis, according to Church and Flathead senior Rook Smith. 

"It's to show kids who are maybe struggling with their mental health a lot that there are people in their classes who care and there are teachers who care," Church said. 

Smith added, "It's not just one day or one time that somebody cares." 

Sanders said it also matters that students can turn to each other for support. She said no one should feel alone while struggling with mental health or suicidal ideation. 

"So, it's not just like, 'Why am I different? Why am I feeling this way?' They can see that the community around them and people their age also recognize that it's happening and they're there to help each other," Sanders said.   

Sears said having students lead these initiatives makes a difference. 

"They're the ones that are living it. They know what they need or what's missing or what they wish they knew more about," Sears said. "As adults, sometimes we don't see it in the same way. We sometimes think we know what they need — and we definitely need to work with them and guide them — but their ideas are far better and more powerful than the ideas I might have." 

THE COLLABORATION between Glacier and Flathead stems from partnerships with the Nate Chute Foundation, which brings student leaders together from the valley’s five high schools for its annual Youth Summit and quarterly consortium meetings to learn, share ideas and discuss mental health wellness and best practices while working to address barriers to accessing care in the valley, according to natechutefoundation.org. 

"We all meet together and talk about what we're doing and what we want to do and what's worked and what hasn't," Church said. 

The "You are Enough" shirts came from the Nate Chute Foundation, Church said, turning around to show the name emblazoned on the back. Students said the slogan is a clear, simple message that connects the visibility of the yellow project to the group’s larger purpose. 

"The 'You are Enough' slogan is really just kind of the whole reason why I'm doing this," Flathead senior Dani Wester said. "My goal, and what I'm passionate about being in this program is that I want people to feel seen and valued, and I think this statement just fully brings that to life for every single student. 

"Being able to reduce the stigma and create an environment where everyone can feel like they belong is the most important by far, to me," Wester said. "Just especially like in this valley, there are not many people here, and with the people that we do have — let's make that community." 

Because there was no existing budget for the project, students turned to the community for donations. Church and another student met with Logan Health last summer and secured a donation of roughly $2,900 to purchase yellow accessories for athletes. 

Cooper Masa, who graduated from Flathead in May, said mental health has been a lifelong struggle and he wanted to continue efforts he started his junior and senior year with the Flathead Wellness Association and help current members see the project through. 

To help, Masa sought donations from school booster clubs, community members and businesses to purchase items for the student body such as wristbands and shirts. Masa said he raised nearly $6,000, which included a matching donation from Glacier Bank. 

Masa said, in his experience, the topic of mental health and suicide is a sensitive topic for many and an urgent issue in Montana. 

ACCORDING TO the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 166 of the 350 Flathead County high school students who responded felt so sad or hopeless for two or more weeks in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities. 

In the 2023 survey, 105 students said they considered attempting suicide over the past year with a combined 57 reporting one up to six or more attempts. 

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey is administered every two years. The Inter Lake chose to use the self-reported results from the 2023 survey due to number of responses received, 353, from Flathead County high school students as opposed to the 83 responses received from for the 2025 survey.  

Nationwide, suicide was the No. 2 cause of death for ages 10-19 in the United States from 2020 to 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

"This is a generational problem and we're seeing that across the nation, like this is not just Montana or not just the Flathead Valley, and what I think is really powerful is that instead of kind of getting really hopeless and sad about this — that it's become a statewide initiative within the youth to take action," Church said, noting that she is a member of multiple statewide groups focused on mental health and access to resources such as the Montana Youth Advisory Council through EmpowerMT. 

Suicide is a public health problem but is preventable and help is available. Call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. People can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting "Home" or "Hola" to 741741 or connecting through WhatsApp. Contacting the Trevor Project is also an option for LGBTQ+ individuals by calling 1-866-488-7386 or text “start” to 678-678. All help lines are open around the clock. 

The Nate Chute Foundation also holds weekly support groups and events which may be found at natechutefoundation.org. 

Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 406-758-4431 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support. 

    Flathead students wear yellow as part of a student suicide awareness initiative during the crosstown volleyball match against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Fans release yellow balloons as part of a student suicide awareness initiative before the Flathead Braves football game against Helena Capital at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 2. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Members of the Glacier High School Marching Band wear yellow ribbons as part of a student suicide awareness initiative as they perform at halftime of the Wolfpack's homecoming win over Missoula Hellgate at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier volleyball players wear yellow socks as part of a student suicide awareness initiative during their crosstown volleyball match against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Members of the Glacier High School Marching Band wear yellow ribbons as part of a student suicide awareness initiative as they perform at halftime of the Wolfpack's homecoming win over Missoula Hellgate at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider