HANOVER – The Hanover High School Bears and Lebanon High School Raiders can be fierce rivals when they meet on the fields and courts.
But on a breezy, sunny Saturday afternoon in late April students from both schools were on the same team.
The Walk As One 5K brought out around 50 people to support mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
“This event was organized in the summer of 2025 to bring together two schools that have always been rivals and unite them for something that is bigger than competition,” said Lebanon junior Kalyani Jogdand as she, along with Lebanon junior Veronica Getchell and Hanover senior Mary Matter, welcomed the walkers at Sachem Field. “Today proves that we can come together for something that impacts all of us: mental health.”
Last August, Matter said she and Jogdand started talking about doing something to gather Lebanon and Hanover students for a common goal.
“We were brainstorming and we really wanted to host a walk and get the community together,” Matter said as walkers began arriving at Sachem Field. “We really wanted to bridge the rivalry between the two schools for one cause.”
Matter said mental health is an important issue so they settled on supporting awareness with a goal of raising $3,000 to give to nonprofit organizations.
“Sometimes because we are a small community, people don’t realize it is important not to be ashamed of what you are struggling with and to get help when you need it,” Matter said. “We all have the ability to show up for one another, which is what this walk is about.”
With support from the student councils, they recruited volunteers, used social media to spread the word and the effort slowly came together with most of the organizing done the last three or four months.
Matter said they worked with Liz Gray, vice president of innovation and sustainability with Positive Tracks, a nonprofit organization based in Hanover.
“Liz was amazing, helping us,” Matter said. “We could not have done this without her.”
Positive Tracks guides young people in organizing and leading athletic events for causes they care about.
“We call it sweating for good,” Gray said at Sachem Field.
She praised the students for the work they did putting the walk together.
“This group really knocked it out of the park,” Gray said. “They are really passionate about this idea and I think with the mental health crisis we are having in this country, the fact that young people are saying this matters to us, and doing it in a way that brings the community together, is really impressive.”
In their welcome remarks to walkers at Sachem Field, Matter, Jogdand and Getchell said the walk is only one part of their overarching goal.
“It is a call to action because in reality, mental health awareness is not only about knowing, it is about what we do for each other in their time of need,” Jogdand said. “If you see someone struggling, don’t assume someone else will help. Even a small action, like checking with someone or sitting with them, can make a real difference.”
The money raised from the walk benefited the Jed Foundation and Busyhead Project. Jed is a national nonprofit focused on protecting emotional health and suicide prevention for teens and young adults. Similarly, The Busyhead Project — founded by singer-songwriter and Hanover High School graduate Noah Kahan in 2023 — is a mental health initiative that provides resources and information needed to end the stigma around mental health.
Jogdand said she wants to help reduce that “stigma” as it can be a barrier to some who may need to seek help
“I’m hoping when we come together for a walk like this, they realize if they ever need a community for support they have one right here,” she said. “They can always come and talk to someone and that is what this walk is all about.”
After the introductions and thanks to volunteers and sponsors, the walkers left Sachem Field and continued along Route 10 to downtown Hanover before crossing the green at Dartmouth College to College Street and then along Lyme Road to the Richmond school.
Caitlyn Johnson, a Lebanon High School junior and a member of the Upper Valley Rowing Foundation, decided to run the 5K.
“I’ve always been aware of mental health and how much there is need for support in the Upper Valley,” said Johnson, still catching her breath as others arrived at the finish.
When she heard her friends were organizing the walk and donating proceeds to the Jed Foundation and Busyhead, which has raised awareness in the schools, Johnson said she wanted to a part of it.
“I think it is great to come out here and do this with a whole bunch of kids.”
Tuning up his guitar, Henry Corwin, a Lebanon junior, said he and his band mates were happy to be invited to play some rock music at the finish line.
“This is a great opportunity for our band and it is such a good cause,” said Corwin, who formed the rock group White Witherspoon Convention with other Lebanon students last October.
When the group learned they’d met their fundraising goal, they let out a collective cheer.
Getchell and others hope this was the first year of what will become an annual event for the two high schools.
“Mental health means a lot to me as an individual so to know there is a community out there for anyone who might struggle is a great thing to keep in mind,” Getchell said. “I love the turnout and I am hoping it will only grow next year and the year after that.”
Those experiencing a mental health crisis or their loved ones can call or text the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for immediate support. Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
