Following a deadly stabbing at North Forsyth, local mentors and mental health advocates speak about supporting the youth.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Tuesday’s deadly stabbing at North Forsyth High School has left the community grappling with emotions ranging from deep sadness to rising anger. Mental-health experts say those reactions are normal, but warn that letting them sit unchecked can be harmful.
Clinical counselor Dr. Nannette Funderburk says acknowledging difficult emotions is the first step toward healing. “Yes, it’s normal to feel sad. Yes, it’s normal to feel anger. Yes, it’s normal to feel all those types of things,” Funderburk said.
She notes that whether you’re a parent, teacher, or student, bottling up emotions after a traumatic event can intensify the pain rather than ease it. “Even if the feeling is numbness, acknowledge that, and then start to dump that out,” she said.
Funderburk encourages students and families to find a healthy outlet, whether that’s talking with a parent or counselor, or expressing thoughts through writing. Without release, she warns, emotional strain can escalate. She explained, “That’s when we start to see the anxiety build, the depression build, the irrational thoughts build,”
For two decades, Antonio Stevenson, CEO and founder of My Brother’s Second Chance, has worked to offer young men in Forsyth County a place to talk openly about the struggles they face. His nonprofit mentors boys and young men ages 13 to 20, creating a safe space for difficult conversations — not only after moments of crisis, but long before.
“Some need a mentor, some need someone to talk to — to communicate with,” Stevenson said.
He adds that the mentoring program emphasizes avoiding dangerous situations before they escalate.
“The kids in my mentoring program focus on walking away from situations that could get them locked up, in the hospital, or dead,” he said.
Stevenson says his message to his mentees is consistent: choose another day. “Before we say goodbye we always say make good choices. Because ultimately that’s what’s going to save you, the choice you make to walk away, the friends you have. The people you surround yourself with can either talk you out of a bad situation or be right there with you in one,” he said. “So we have the tough conversations that sometimes parents are scared to have.”
As North Forsyth High School prepares to return to instruction tomorrow, Dr. Funderburk says she hopes the community is given the time and space it needs to grieve and process what happened.
She warns the worst thing the community can do is rush back to “normal” as if nothing occurred.