One Glendale high school for a second straight year submitted the most Messages of Hope among participating Valley schools to offer fellow teenagers support and encouragement.

Students at Independence High School created 10,853 Messages of Hope, the most of any school participating in the contest, to win $1,000. This is the Glendale Union High School District school’s second consecutive year winning the contest.

In 2023, Independence students created 6,000 Messages of Hope to take home the top prize.

“Teenagers need to know they are not alone when they struggle with stress, anxiety or isolation,” Michelle Moorhead, Teen Lifeline executive director, shared in a press release. “Each message on every chain tells students that someone cares and there is hope and help available when they need it.”

Students from 30 Valley high schools rallied to assist their peers by handwriting more than 42,000 encouraging personal messages as part of the 2024 Connections of Hope Paper Chain Contest sponsored by Teen Lifeline.

If fastened together, the chains of uplifting messages would stretch nearly two miles in length – the equivalent of the distance from the Arizona State Fairgrounds to the Arizona State Capitol.

The annual contest challenges Arizona teenagers to write short, tangible notes that provide support and encouragement for their peers who may be grappling with the challenges of depression, anxiety or thoughts of suicide.

The paper chains, composed of individual links written on strips of paper, are now displayed on middle school and high school campuses throughout the Valley. Students are encouraged to take a Message of Hope link from the paper chains when having particularly tough days.

Since its inception in 2019, the contest has become a yearly tradition on many high school campuses in the Phoenix area. Three cash prizes are awarded annually to the schools that create the most links.

Two additional $1,000 prizes were awarded based on students’ participation. Sierra Linda High School, in Phoenix, with 6,379 links won the highest ratio of links to students enrolled, and West Point High School, in Avondale, with 4,462 links, finished with the highest combination of most handwritten links and highest ratio of links to students enrolled.

Prize money will be used to create a permanent display of hope on the campus, such as a mural or garden.

Anyone struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts can call or text 988 in English or Spanish 24 hours a day.