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Student Opinion

Do you think people cut themselves for attention?

Emerson Hatton, Freshman @ East
No. Most people I know who cut themselves don’t go, “yeah I cut myself every night.” Most people who do it consider it to be a dirty dark secret that they don’t want anyone to know about. I don’t get why people would think that.

How many people in America suffer with depression?

Marray Napue, Junior at East
I think a lot. If I had to choose from one and hundred percent, I think 99% of people are depressed.

Do you think there is a cure for depression or what solutions can you think of to help someone suffering with depression?

Rachel Nevers Junior @ East
I would just surround yourself around people who you know can make you feel better because if you surround yourself around people that make you feel bad, you’re going to feel worse. Surround yourself around people who care about you and try to get a better attitude.

Do you think people cut themselves for attention?

Sarah Marquez, Junior @ East
I’m sure people do that for attention, but the majority of people who cut themselves do it to make themselves feel better.

What is your opinion on depression?

T’Keyah Henry, Freshman @ East
I think depression has a lot to do with everything that’s going on around you. Like the people and the things that take place in your life and the way it puts stress on you.

Do you think that there is a negative stigma around hip hop in your school?

Marcus Flowers, Junior East HS
“I don’t think people take hip hop seriously and if they do then they think it’s just about the guns, drug money, and degrading of women. I think that in our modern society music doesn’t have the same importance as it used to. I think we need to get back to our roots because music is life.”

Niishia Hysaw, Senior East HS
“I think people who don’t know where hip hop comes from have their own outside opinion that can be negative. I mean if you don’t know the roots of something you’re going to have a totally different outlook and perspective than what it actually is. The new rappers are responsible for a negative stigma because they’re not following in the footsteps of the ones who set the foundation.”

Sara Sims, Freshmen East HS
“I think that a lot of people think hip hop is just drugs and sex, but that’s not all it is. A lot of the popular stuff is about that, but being in Check Your Head shows kids that there’s more to it.”

Kason Johnson, East HS Senior
“I think there is negative stigma, a lot of people say that hip hop today is stupid and people aren’t saying anything worthwhile like back in the day. But they are actually saying something, you just have to listen.”

Michael Litbak, Senior East HS
“Honestly, I don’t think it’s negative. To me it seems like something that everyone wants to do and a lot of people imitate it. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing, I think it’s actually a good thing because it’s something that a lot of people can share. And if you can actually do it, it’s a huge plus.”




Antonio Jesus Vera, Freshmen Skyland HS
“I think there is a negative view, that people think hip hop is all about drugs and violence. And it can be true, because there are different types of hip hop. Some people do talk about that negative stuff, but other people choose to talk about things that are going on in the world. There’s a big debate about whether graffiti is art or a crime. I think it’s art. Well murals are art. Tagging, I mean, that’s different. But murals shouldn’t be illegal because a lot of the art is really good.”

Mah-Kena McVey, Freshmen Manual HS
“Not really, because it depends on which rapper you’re talking about. Because there’s Christian hip hop, and truthful hip hop and even though they may use cuss words, they’re still talking about the truth so it really depends on the kind of hip hop you choose to listen to.”

Jessica Keys, Freshmen Manual HS
“To me, hip hop is my life. It’s my way to express myself when I can’t tell people how I feel. I write stuff down and it helps me calm down and rationalize the situation. Without it, I could be a juvenile delinquent. There are some negatives like things on tv with vulgar language and girls thinking that the only way they can get respect is to dress provocatively.”

Do you think there’s a negative stigma around mental health with your peers compared to what you’ve learned about mental health in Check Your Head? And how do you feel like hip hop and mental health are related?

Torin Thames, Senior East HS
"I think there is a negative stigma because when I talk to people about mental health they think of things like mental retardation and down syndrome. I try to go around my peers and tell them about what we’re doing, about how we’re using hip hop to talk about mental health and how mental health affects all of us, we’re all going through mental health. So I think there is a negative stigma, but I also think it is starting to fade away since the program has gotten older and for those of us who have been in it for a few years now. I think hip hop and mental health do relate in this program, but not always, especially how hip hop can be portrayed in the media because a lot of artists and rappers aren’t talking about issues that really matter. But for us, we’re in here rapping about things that really matter and about ourselves and then we’re going out and talking about it in our classrooms and the hip hop is what’s bringing us to it, to this greater issue.”

Chris Filus, Senior East HS
“I think people think that mental health is a totally different topic and that it only relates to things like suicide. What they don’t realize there’s different parts to mental health and what we talk about opens it up to everything else. I think a lot of people are in denial about their self-esteem and their suicidal thoughts and being in Check Your Head opens it up to talk about things like that. Mental health is most definitely related to hip hop because a lot of rappers themselves are kind of suicidal if you really listen to what they say and see how they turn themselves to drugs or violence. Even Tu Pac said himself that he was suicidal so there’s no doubt in my mind that mental health has to do with hip hop and it can have to do with any kind of music because it’s expressing yourself.”

Faythe Utsey, Sophomore East HS
“I think there is a negative stigma about people who have mental illnesses or about their mental health because when you think about it, you think of crazy people and even though that’s not necessarily what it is, that’s what you tend to think of. I think it does have a lot to do with hip hop because a lot of people, when they do hip hop, when they rap, emcee, and dance, they have a mind set, a feeling. Whether it’s good or bad, that’s their mental health.”

Sella Kyambalesa, Junior East HS
“I think that whenever you say mental health to a teenager, they probably think that it has to do with a disorder or a problem, or that a person is crazy and they need help. Mental health can be anything from an event that happened that is traumatizing or even little things that happen day to day affect your mental health. It’s more than just diseases. I think mental health does have to do with hip hop because for example in dancing, you’re not going to be able to do the best you can if your mental health isn’t ok. Because if a person isn’t mentally healthy or they’re busy thinking about things in the past that happened that are causing them to have negative thoughts they can’t do their best.”

Cheri Jacobs, Junior East HS
“I think mental health and hip hop are related because you have to have a sound mind, or at least know where your mind is to do hip hop. Because hip hop is who you are and what you want to be, so the way you think and who you are have to click. I think that sometimes there is a negative stereotype around mental health with my friends. They think that it’s about being crazy and needing help or wanting to commit suicide. They think that they don’t want to be in the program because they don’t need help, but really it’s about more than that because we are learning who we are in a supportive place full of other kids and also learning how to stand out.”

Tracie Parker, Freshmen Manual HS
“I think it depends on the person whether they see mental health issues in a negative way. This class for me is inspiring and hip hop and mental health are related because it helps you ease your mind. This class has helped me learn how to express myself better and has made me more likely to want to talk to others about their issues. It’s easier for me to talk to people now. This class is a lot more than I expected it to be, it has helped me go through my life better and I look forward to this class because I feel like it’s useful and inspiring information.”

Send Your Stories or Expressions to:
pkennedy@mhacolorado.org