Michigan students powerfully respond to '13 Reasons Why' with 13 Reasons Why Not

As conversations and criticism continue around Netflix's 13 Reasons Why, one Michigan high school is taking action by having students openly discuss the people and things that keep them going.

13 Reasons Why Not began at Oxford High School in honor of former student Megan Abbott, who died by suicide in 2013. Students didn't know about the project until the first "tape" began playing over the school's loudspeaker one day, courtesy of senior Riley Juntti.

Juntti and several other seniors recorded audio clips of personal stories -- battles with bullying, body-shaming, abusive relationships, and more -- but then they highlighted someone who gave them hope instead of someone they could blame.

"I binge-watched the show in about a day, 'cause once it came out our whole entire school was talking about it," Juntti told Mashable in a phone interview. "I think it showed what we go through in high school; I know me myself or a lot of my friends have been through a lot of the situations Hannah Baker had been through...However, the show was troubling to all of those involved in the project just because it showed as if suicide was almost inevitable, that she had to commit suicide from all these things that happened to her."

The idea for 13 Reasons Why Not came from Oxford High School's Dean of Students Pam Fine, who brought it to Juntti's first-hour leadership class who work with the local middle school on bullying awareness and suicide prevention.

"[The show] didn't focus on a lot of the good that was in [Hannah's] life," Juntti elaborated. "She had loving parents, she had Clay. We also through there was a lack of mental health awareness in it and also a lack of resources that she could've gone to. I know she talked to her high school counselor at the end of the show, but there are so many more resources than just your high school counselor who you can reach out to."

“I feel like now we’ve created a new environment in Oxford that we didn’t have before,” Juntti told The Oakland Press. “Now we’ve created this culture within our school where it’s okay to admit if you’re struggling.”

The recordings are raw and powerful; You can hear Juntti and classmate Kayla Manzella's on the Washington Post.

"No one really volunteered [at first] because I think we were all scared of the response and it was very uncertain where the project would head," Juntti elaborated. "But I knew that I had to do it, that there's so many issues that kids were going through and there wasn't conversation and we weren't talking about it in the classroom or at home. So I volunteered to go first."

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In a statement on her Twitter page, Juntti describes her experiences with mental illness and why she felt 13 Reasons Why Not was necessary.

"I know this project was extremely emotionally painful for a lot of the participants to go through," she writes. "I just hope someone took the meaning out of it that life is always worth living, there is people who love you, and your value is not tarnished by others [sic] perceptions."

Netflix has ordered another season of 13 Reasons Why in which the show runners could do a lot of good. Juntti and her classmates are trying to change the conversation immediately.

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If you want to talk to someone or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Here is a list of international resources.