Wellness Day

At Indian River High, we have a mental wellness coalition made up of informed and engaged students. Many of them have gone to leadership, mental wellness and other social justice related conferences and are eager to provide as much education and access to resources as possible to our staff and student body. When they decided to host a "Mental Wellness Day" for our whole school as an expansion of our lunchtime wellness cafes, our principal jumped on board. As a teacher sponsor for the group I realize the work involved in such an undertaking but am all in as well. We are in the process of recruiting 15 plus presenters on a variety of issues (ie. coping with anxiety and depression, addiction, eating disorders, healthy relationships, mindfulness, cyber safety, doping with grief, LGBTQ issues, sexual health). This will be a full day event with an opening assembly with guest speakers and performers followed by sessions of interest that students would have signed up for and been assigned to in advance.

Update (June 23, 2017)

Our Wellness Day had to be postponed due to inclement weather and went ahead on May 10th.

Update (June 23, 2017)

Our Wellness Day at Indian River High, originally planned for March had to be postponed due to inclement weather. It went ahead on May 10th and was received well by students and staff alike. The day began with a school assembly where the day was introduced and individual schedules distributed. A high school student who has been battling depression and OCD since the seventh grade gave an incredible talk that resulted in an immediate standing ovation by the entire student body. He set the tone for what was to be an informative and inspirational day. Our Keynote address on cyber safety and cyber bullying was engaging and educational after which we broke for recess where students could enjoy a healthy snack, peruse the numerous displays around the school and enter their names and/or ideas for prizes. The rest of the day, students attended four of the 12 sessions offered (they had chosen their preferences in a survey earlier in the year.) During the lunch break, our student leadership team organized and ran a "wellness scavenger hunt" which saw teams competing for prizes.

This initiative was a great success! It was better than I could have imagined. Participation rates were high and I received a great deal of positive feedback during the day and the days following when students would come to thank me or to share something about one of the presentations they attended. Staff members also enjoyed the day and remarked at how interested and involved the students were. Several parents wrote to let me know that the sessions had resulted in great conversations at home. In the days leading up to the conference, I was telling myself "Never again!" but as the results were so rewarding, in the days after I was thinking about initiatives for the next school year.

A big thank you to the Canadian Teachers Federation for your support. It certainly helped make the day a success. In the picture attached you can see you made our sponsors' "Wall of "Fame".

Update (June 23, 2017)

Indian River High`s Wellness Coalition.