Reader's note: This article discusses suicide and mental illness.
 

Judy and Paul Coty, left, their daughter Veronica, Matt Capeless and PHS Principal Maggie Esko at the Movember gathering.

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Around 200 Taconic and Pittsfield high school students marched downtown to support men's health on Friday.

The third annual "Move for Movember" walk-a-thon raised money for mental health, as more than three of four suicides that occur in the United States are by men and boys. It also supported the Aaron T. Coty Memorial Scholarship, which honors a beloved student who died in 2015 after silently struggling with mental illness.

Each walker paid a $5 registration fee and was asked to raise an additional $20.

"I can still remember exactly where I was when I heard the news that Aaron died by suicide on Sept. 17, 2015. I could not believe it. It did not make sense. I didn't want to believe it but it was real, and it was something that we had to get through together," said Matt Capeless, Movember community ambassador and physical education and wellness teacher at Taconic High School.

"My friends and I struggled thinking about what we missed or what we could have done differently. We cried together and shared memories of the good times we had together. One thing was certain, we cannot go back in time."

Coty's family has attended suicide prevention walks for nine years and walked for Movember for the last three years.

"I wish Aaron had gotten help because we had no idea that he was struggling," his mother, Judy Coty, said.

"He was always smiling and happy and had tons of friends and was very outgoing and personable."