Another of the initiatives the school engaged in to support student mental health and school connectedness was bringing in a guest speaker from Learning for Living.  The 3-day seminar involved a school-wide assembly, leader training for 50 of our senior students and then 2 full-day sessions for learning about one another for over 300 of our students.

Led by facilitator Freddie Silveria, the sessions were incredibly moving, engaging and thought-provoking for our students. At the end of the three days, many of our staff and students felt more connected to one another, more aware of the daily struggles we are all dealing with, and more willing to support one another in whatever ways we can. The connectedness of our students and the willingness to engage in making the school experience better for everyone was felt by all who were involved. Our mission is to now take the momentum gained from the Breaking Down the Walls experience and sustain it with more engaging and connecting activities for all our students.  Because as the saying goes, “It’s hard to hate someone whose story you know”…