Garden City Collegiate staff, students grieve after 2 deaths

Staff and students at Garden City Collegiate are in mourning after two students killed themselves within days of each other.

"To put it mildly the school is just reeling from the loss," said Brian O'Leary, the superintendent of Seven Oaks School Division.

O'Leary said every social worker and psychologist in the division is at the school to help students.Pamphlets with a list of resources were also distributed to students to help them deal with the loss and to try to prevent future deaths, he said.

The two students were in Grade 12 and were believed to be a couple. Friends told CBC News they had dated for five years.

"[He]was the kind of guy that always brought laughter to all our friends, always the one that would lighten up our moods," student RaphaelAblaosaid about one of the teens who died.

"The last few days has been really down for me and like all my friends. Tears, tears are rolling down our faces, it's been a really hard time for me to get through the day."

Tuesday night, about 75 students stayed at the school to talk about the deaths and spend time together.

O'Leary said school staff stayed to help the students.

"[They were] both Grade 12 students, both strong students, wonderful students. This really is a real tragedy," said O'Leary."This is a time where parents ought to be holding their kids very close."

The first hour of classes at the high school were postponed on Wednesday to talk to the students about the deaths.

On Tuesday, a petition calling for greater attention to mental health in schools was posted on Change.org.

The petition was started by Garden City Collegiate student Jasmine Deato and had more than 1,200 digital signatures by Wednesday afternoon.

There has been an outpouring of condolences and grief on social media since the incident, and many of the students wore black to school on Wednesday as a show of support.

New report on youth suicide released Wednesday

On Wednesday, the Office of the Children's Advocate released a report on youth suicide in Manitoba.

The report found the nature of youth suicide is changing in the province, and more young girls are killing themselves than boys.

The average age is 15, and "nearly all" youth suicide deaths are from hanging, the report said.

The report examined 50 cases of youth suicide who had CFS involvement from 2009 to 2013 and found six major "themes" or commonalities among the deaths.

They included poor school attendance, a history of hospitalisation for suspicious injuries or mental health crises, criminal justice involvement, suicidal ideation, a history of substance misuse by parents or the youth or a significant history of residence changes.

The report coincides with Mental Health Week, which runs from May 4 to May 10.

Darlene MacDonald is Manitoba's Children's Advocate. She said more needs to be done to spot the warning signs of depression among teens in school.

"By the evidence today you can see that suicide can happen anywhere," she said.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, these resources are available:

• Macdonald Youth Services
• Klinic Crisis Counselling
• Reason to Live - Manitoba Suicide Hotline
• Manitoba Crisis Services

Macdonald Youth Services has a 24-hour intake line for youth and families at 204-949-4777 (or toll-free at 1-888-383-2776.)