After Freshman Commits Suicide, Dean Secretly Gets Students to Tell “13 Reasons Why Not”

13 Reasons Why is the Netflix original series that has taken the world by storm. Based on the popular young adult novel of the same title by Jay Asher, the show has stirred up quite the controversy among viewers.

In the series, we meet a girl named Hannah Baker, who dies by suicide and leaves behind “13 Reasons Why” she felt the need to die.

But some students at Oxford High School in Michigan are giving their peers 13 reasons to live. The project is called “13 Reasons Why Not.”

Starting on Monday, May 1, a recording of a different student has been played on the announcements each day. It will continue for 13 days.

In the recording, each teen will reveal to the entire student body a problem that they’re facing. Then at the end of their recording, rather than blaming someone in their battle, each student will thank a classmate who has helped them.

After losing a freshman, Megan Abbott, to suicide four years ago, Oxford High School’s Dean of Students, Pam Fine, came up with the idea for the project.

“I watched the series. I thought it accurately depicted the problems that teenagers in high school are facing now,” Pam explains. “But it was incredibly troubling to me that suicide was portrayed as being, almost, inevitable, like she had no other option.”

She continued:

“The idea was to come up with 13 reasons why not, because that was not portrayed in the show… Even though it can get very dark, there is always hope. Our message is that there are no 13 reasons why. Suicide is not an option.”

Since Pam wanted to keep the project a secret until it was launched, the only students who knew about it were the 13 teens featured in it.

So on Monday morning when the announcements came over the intercom, students were surprised to hear the voice of their peer, senior Riley Juntti.

“Worthless. Self-centered. No morals. Easy. Grimy. Cake face. You would be better off dead. That’s just the start of what you would label me as every day for two years,” Riley said in her recording.

Unlike the show, Riley didn’t reveal the person she was talking about at the end of her message. Instead, she thanked a classmate who had made her feel the opposite of the lies she’d been fed.

“This tape is for you Elise Godfrey. You saw me when no one else did and continued to listen, share and appreciate the small things with me. Thank you for your kindness I can not repay. You are one of my 13 reasons why not.”

The recording was powerful. Students welcomed the message with support and praise.

“Riley Juntti is braver than anyone for doing what she did,” one classmate tweeted.

Riley said she knew that some may not like what she had to say, but their opinions didn’t matter to her because she knew her story could help other girls in her school who have been victims of emotional, physical or sexual abuse.

“Standing up for what is right has always been more important to me than my peers’ approval, and this project wasn’t an exception,” she said. “Oxford has come together to create an environment this past week where talking about mental illness is socially acceptable… I’ve helped people come forward with their struggles and that’s more than what I can ask for from this project.”

On Tuesday morning, captain of the basketball team, Jordan Jadan, was the featured “13 Reasons Why Not” teen. Jordan shared with his peers that this year has been rough on him. After his mom moved to Florida for her job, Jordan moved in with his grandmother. Throughout the already chaotic moving process, amidst the busy schedule of a high school student and athlete, Jordan said a family member who he used to be close with has relentlessly bombarded him with explicit and degrading text messages.