VALENTINE, Neb. -- The statistics can be disturbing. Four in ten U.S. high schoolers experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and nearly a quarter have seriously considered attempting suicide. That’s according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, a group of Valentine High Schoolers is asking to hang up signs at area businesses.

“It’s a really big issue, but we don’t talk about it enough,” said Deklin Titus, Valentine High School sophomore.

Titus belongs to the Valentine Youth Wellness Advisory Group.

“I think a lot of kids struggle with it, and they don’t have people to talk to. We’re a group that can help be a face to students,” Titus said.

In addition to the group, Valentine Community Schools has launched an app that allows students to report issues such as depression, bullying and sexting.

“I think it’s also important to recognize that it’s not just students from a certain demographic or socioeconomic status who need help. We have a lot of really high-achieving students who feel a lot of pressure to do well. That in and of itself can create mental health struggles,” said Shawna Fullerton Valentine Community Schools Licensed Mental Health Practitioner.

The Safe 2 Help app is through the Nebraska Department of Education Safety and Security and BoysTown. It allows students and parents to make anonymous reports.

“The Safe 2 Help app is not just a mental health app. It’s for kids to report if they know about unsafe things going on whether that be someone making a threat to another student, the school or in the community. They can report any of that,” Fullerton said.

Another tool that Titus hopes will make a difference in the teen mental health crisis.

“Putting ourselves out there to make people more comfortable talking about how they feel,” Titus said.