Michael Zhou ’21, Peter Woodville ’21
The University of Pennsylvania is being sued for over $50,000 by the parents of Wharton School student Ao “Olivia” Kong for negligence, wanton and willful misconduct, reckless disregard, and wrongful death, according to Philly.com. The incident occurred in the spring of 2016, when Olivia, who had been dealing with a stressful workload, intentionally jumped onto railroad tracks and suffered fatal injuries. The lawsuit alleges that the university neglected Olivia’s multiple pleas for help and failed to effectively assist her in coping with her overwhelming stress. In the months before the incident, the 21 year-old had fallen ill twice. During her visits to the Student Health Center, she reported that she was stressed and anxious about her academics. Olivia sought assistance from Counseling and Psychological Services, speaking twice with a psychiatrist and expressing suicidal thoughts both times. Her parents claim there was nothing done to address those thoughts.
This incident may display a pattern emerging: Olivia is the 10th student at Penn to commit suicide in the past 3 years.
The issue of student suicide stuck close to Episcopal Academy in 2015, when Cayman Naib, as an 8th grader at the Shipley School, took his own life. On what the Episcopal community could do to prevent something similar happening to us in the future, Dr. Locke says, “The adults have created a climate here at EA where the kids feel like they have someone to talk to. We have lots of different people here to talk with: we’ve got professional counselors, advisors, teachers, coaches, and administrators.” Bo Aldridge ‘21 agrees, saying, “I think generally, the teachers do a great job of being available for students outside of class. Overall, the Episcopal staff is also very emotionally supportive, especially when students are feeling stressed.” Locke also explained that while it is important to maintain a comfortable environment for the students, it is also imperative to strike a balance between challenging and nurturing. “If you’re bored because we’re not pushing you, then we’re not a very good school. We need to be challenging you, but if we challenge you so much that you’re stressed and you can’t cope with life, that’s not good at all.”
Nicole Chaikin, Upper School psychologist, says that often times, students just need to step back and take a deep breath. She says that “I think there’s an element of pulling back and saying it’s okay to have a bad day, or it’s okay to be upset or nervous or worried, but that doesn’t mean you have a problem per se.” However, she also says it’s incredibly important to recognize when a real problem is emerging. “It’s also understanding when something is actually not normal, and how to handle it more effectively so that it’s not so overwhelming.” Chaikin believes EA has a great system in place where students feel comfortable with talking to teachers, saying, “The adults [at EA] have a good sense of their students and really care about them. […] I think it’s [important] just knowing that you’re not alone.” As for what the students can do to help their friends and peers, she recommends that students strive to “Be a good listener. If you see something or hear something from a friend that seems [troubling], talk to your parents or come and talk to one of us. Sometimes kids and grownups get worried about telling or not being loyal in some way, but I think the secrecy creates a tremendous amount of danger.”
As for the students’ take on whether EA strikes that fine balance between challenging and supporting, Timmy Schellenger ‘21 says, “I think our school does a good job. Whenever anyone is feeling too overwhelmed, they can always ask their friends or teachers for help.” Chris Lo ‘21 adds, “The adults at EA are always there for us, which I think is a very important part of our emotional wellbeing. But they also challenge us to be our best.” The students want to feel safe in their educational space, and Episcopal has been taking numerous serious measures to try to provide the best solutions for this ne