Clayton Heights Secondary 23-24
OUR CONTEXT
Clayton Heights Secondary is located on the shared, unceded, traditional territory of the Katzie, Semiahmoo and Kwantlen First Nations. We are a community where all students are encouraged to be inclusive and responsible citizens who participate in intellectual, artistic and athletic pursuits. With the guidance and encouragement of the school community, students are challenged to create, anticipate and dream.
Our students understand and accept their rights and responsibilities as citizens and participate in civic and social groups. They explore social, environmental and technological issues and advancements facing the nation and the world, while developing skills and understandings needed to pursue interests and utilize personal talents. Students are provided the opportunity to investigate career and educational options appropriate to their individual passions. All members of our school community are challenged to better understand the importance of maintaining physical and emotional well-being and develop decision-making, planning and resource management skills needed for their role as critical participants in a democratic society.
Our school is founded on the belief that service learning should be an integral part of all learning experiences. Student leadership programs support all aspects of student leader development, student involvement, and student leadership experiences at school.
The program is guided by the philosophy that leadership is about action, not position, and that all students have the capacity to make meaningful contributions during their school careers and beyond.
OUR LEARNERS
At Clayton Heights, we strive toward creating a school community that is equitable and meets the individual needs of our learners. We believe that positive relationships and connection form the foundation for an environment that is conducive to learning. Students succeed when they feel valued and cared for. Our Student Learning Plan focusses on the development and application of Social-Emotional Learning strategies, which promote student well-being, self-awareness and management, positive relationships, and responsible decision-making.
“Social-emotional learning is a vital part of human development, equipping students with the skills, abilities, tools and knowledge to build positive relationships, solve problems, make intelligent decisions, and achieve the necessary level of self-awareness. Social-emotional learning can also provide the foundation for educational success” (Taken from ViewSonic: What is Social-Emotional Learning and Why is it important?).
Supporting students so they can successfully graduate means focusing on the skills needed to be proficient across all subject areas, as well as being competent in the Core Competencies of Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking and Personal and Social Responsibility.
(CASEL, 2020)
Personal Awareness and Responsibility
Our students can identify their strengths and struggles, both in their learning and in their ability to access knowledge and support at our school.
Our students have also communicated their thoughts on these skills through our student learning surveys. In the 2022/23 school year, we prompted our students to share how they were feeling given certain questions.
Our student responses give us a clear picture that while many of our students are finding success in these areas, there is additional work for the school to do. For example, if 80% of our student population is always or somewhat believing they can be successful, then certainly that percentage is to be celebrated. However, that also means one in five students in our school is not believing they can be successful, which absolutely needs to be addressed.
Our Students and Mental Health
It is no secret that our society and indeed our schools are becoming more and more aware of our students’ struggles and need for coping strategies in terms of their own mental health. We collected a sample of student learning data to gain a sense of how our current students were feeling with regards to their own mental health.
Based on this sample of information, while the numbers of positive or neutral responses in this survey are strong, we know from the data that interventions on a school level are needed. When between 30% and 40% of your student body is reporting that they know there are legitimate struggles and over 50% of that same group does not feel a sense of belonging, problems must be addressed.
The survey of students also focused on those elements of their schooling that could impact their mental health. These questions focused more on mental health in the classroom.
Mental Health Action Plan:
The school incorporated a plan that worked to inform and educate our students on important aspects of learning about mental health and ways to manage the stresses they were feeling. Mental health awareness weeks were developed for both semesters. In the first semester, our Physical Education department organized a week of mental health education. The first day involved discussing the various types of mental health disorders (anxiety, depression, panic attacks, PTSD, eating disorders, substance use, and gaming addictions). Personal stories to demonstrate the cause and effect of genetic and environmental factors were shared. The topic of mindfulness was introduced as a lead in to the second day, where our school District’s Social-Emotional Learning Helping Teacher took our students through breathing exercises, tools to reset the nervous system and other hands-on activities. Here are some examples of assignments and work that our students engaged in.
Name (first and last): ____________________________ Block: ___________ Due Date: ___
Mental Health Power Point Presentation:
#1. Define stress and anxiety.
*Stress____________________________________________________________________________________________________
*Anxiety___________________________________________________________________________________________________
#2. What is the difference between a panic attack and a panic disorder?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
#3. List 3 symptoms of a panic attack.
*_______________________________________________________________________
*______________________________________________________________________
*_______________________________________________________________________
#4. List 3 things that can cause a panic attack.
* ______________________________________________________________________
* _______________________________________________________________________
*_______________________________________________________________________
#5. Describe depression, and how it differs from anxiety / panic attacks?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
#6. List 3 common causes of PTSD.
* _______________________________________________________________________
*_______________________________________________________________________
*_______________________________________________________________________
#7. Why is an eating disorder considered one of the most dangerous teen mental health conditions? _______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
#8. Using the words “self medicate” and “coping mechanism”, describe why substance abuse can be dangerous for teens with mental health disorders?
_______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
#9. Gaming can be fun, but how can video games negatively affect our mental health?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
#10. List and explain 3 causes that can contribute to teen mental health disorders.
* _______________________________________________________________________
* _______________________________________________________________________
*_______________________________________________________________________
#11. Define mindfulness, and explain why you think mindfulness could be beneficial to a teenager like yourself. _________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
#12. Find and explain 2 benefits to the human body achieved through mindfulness.
* _______________________________________________________________________
*_______________________________________________________________________
#13. List / describe 2 Mindfulness Tools that you think you will use / do the most.
* _______________________________________________________________________
*_______________________________________________________________________
#14. Describe “Mindful Relaxation Breathing” and how you would perform it on your own (how long are your inhales and exhales, what image do you use to aid your breathing technique, would you do it at home or other places etc.)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
#15. Describe your current state of mental health (stress, anxiety, worry thoughts, concerns, etc.): ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
#16. What could you do to improve your own state of mental health?
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
#17. List 2 main things that stood out as a result of this Mindfulness Presentation.
* _______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
*_______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
#18. Please provide some suggestions for improvement after going through the Mindfulness Presentation. _________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
At the end of the week each student was given a resource list of sites and numbers in order to provide rapid support where needed, when the students needed it.
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES:
Thank you for listening to our presentation today on mental health. We have listed the following resources for you to use if you ever feel that you or a friend are struggling, and you need to reach out for HELP!
CRISIS LINE (Phone or Text)
SMS/Text kids Help Phone by texting CONNECT to 686868.
Phone – Crisis Line @ 310-6789
Kids Help Line at 1-800-668-6868
Suicide Hotline @ 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
Kids Help Phone: https://kidshelpphone.ca/
Youth Space.ca: https://youthspace.ca/
Free Online Crisis – Suicide Prevention – Emotional Support Service: https://www.youthinbc.com/
Walk Along: https://walkalong.ca/help-me-now
Apps: SMILING MIND, BREATHE, CALM, INSIGHT TIMER, MINDSHIFT, HEADSPACE
Websites:
Fraser Health Resources: https://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-topics-a-to-z/mental-health-and-substance-use/child-and-youth-mental-health/child-and-youth-resources
Walk Along: https://www.walkalong.ca/
Mental Health Literacy: https://mentalhealthliteracy.org/
Foundry: https://foundrybc.ca/
Anxiety Canada: https://www.anxietycanada.com/
Bc Childrens Hospital Kelty Mental Health: https://keltymentalhealth.ca/
Help Guide: https://www.helpguide.org/
BC Early Psychosis Intervention: https://www.earlypsychosis.ca/
Cognitive Behavioural Interpersonal Skills Manual:
https://media.surreyschools.ca/media/Default/medialib/cbis-manual-adolescent-full.d863a953290.pdf
Mind your Mind: https://mindyourmind.ca/
HeretoHelp BC: https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/
In the second semester, our Leadership department organized a second week of Mental Health guest speakers and lunchtime activities. On the first day, a number of classes were able to attend a presentation on how to use various tools to allow the body to deal with stress and anxiety. The presentation acknowledged that stress and anxiety are real, but that a person can actively work using their own choices and systems to control their responses. Most importantly, the presenter described how stress and anxiety are bodily responses that can not only be changed, but can also be controlled. Of particular interest to our students and staff is the concept of secure attachments. Our students learned that they can be happy in their studies when they are confident that a trusted person will be there to help them when needed. The benefits as described in the slide below are all ideal for combating mental health struggles (slide reprinted with permission).
We next focussed on research into anxiety, modern life and how to build resilience to deal with anxiety and stress. Finally, the students were given 10 tools that could be implemented as a resource for dealing with stress and anxiety.
- Love and Connection: spend time with people who make you feel safe.
- Socialize: positive interactions can result in lower heart rate, decreased stress and happy hormones released.
- Eat Well: Good food fuels the body
- Sleep: avoid screens 2 hours before bed, links to good sleep habits
- Tame your Flight or Fight Response (outdoor calm activities are the best)
- Mindful vs Mind Full: mindfulness is scientifically proven to reduce stress
- Practice: box breathing 3 times per day
- Limit your screen time
- Find your Why: strengths and belonging
- Practice
Prior to that week, our students had an opportunity to purchase a student-designed shirt that was created specifically to raise awareness and be, in the words of our student artist, “something kids would want to wear anytime”. Great care was taken to design a shirt that would be worn by students at any time, not just during mental health week. After much research and specific feedback from a focus group, the official shirt of CHS semester two Mental Health Week was officially unveiled.
During that week, students also took part in lunch time activities such as a Mental Health Kahoot challenge and a relaxing yoga session. Additionally, our grade 8 students were all given the opportunity to participate in the mindfulness presentation, once again put on by the District’s Social-Emotional Learning Helping Teacher.
Positive Personal and Cultural Identity and Social Responsibility
Our learners can identify their passions and interests and make connections to the CHS community.
"Connection is why we're here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives." Brene Brown
In an effort to provide contexts for connection and a sense of belonging, our school has undertaken a number of initiatives aimed at increasing student engagement and sense of belonging at the school. We value celebrating each individual's personal identity and believe in creating an inclusive and safe space for all students. The following pictures provide just a small sample of the return to school activities that students engaged in this year. At CHS, teachers share their passions in clubs to connect with students outside of the classroom and build a community through shared interests. Students often volunteer their time in projects that give back and support both the school and local community. These events have also provided staff and students with an opportunity to learn from one another, celebrate diversity and nurture a culturally inclusive environment.
Cloverdale Community Kitchen 
Mental Health Awareness Week 
Craft / Art Club
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Club - Eid and Lunar New Year
OUR FOCUS
Supporting students so they can graduate successfully, develop positive relationships, and nurture their passions and strengths to be positive, caring, inclusive community members is our focus at CHS. We aim for all students to be provided with daily opportunities to develop Social-Emotional learning skills and capabilities, as well as, build competence in the Core Competencies of Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking and Personal and Social Responsibility.
"Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions" (CASEL, 2022).
At CHS, our educators support students in developing positive and successful academic, social and emotional transitions in their journey through:
- Grade 7 into grade 8
- The exploration years (grade 8 and 9) into grade 10
- Grade 12 to a successful graduation and beyond
In order to identify our students' strengths and areas of growth, as well as, highlight and assess our supports, we tracked Social-Emotional Learning in two cohorts of learners who were recommended for our Transitions program. The CHS Transitions program focuses on academic skill building, student connection, and social-emotional learning. Support is provided so students are able to develop a growth mindset and motivation to achieve their goals for the future.
Student Learning Goals
- Our learners can evaluate and explain Social-Emotional Learning strategies that promote well-being (i.e. self-awareness and reflection, strategies for mental well-being, responsible decision-making)
- Our learners can demonstrate an increased sense of belonging, school engagement and participation
Junior Transitions
For some students, the struggle to meaningfully engage in school has been a greater challenge. Our support team worked this year to identify grade 9 and 10 students that were at risk of not successfully transitioning into the grade 10 to 12 graduation program.
This cohort of students was supported throughout the year by a dedicated Transitions teacher, alongside the Youth Care Workers, Safe-School Liaisons, and Counsellors. The students were given one block of time in their schedule, as it was thought that constant and direct support would be preferable to drop in or in-class support models. It was also the firm belief of the teacher in the program that to make the connections and build the relationships with the students, daily contact was required. The teacher acted in the capacity of academic support, attendance support, social and emotional support as well as creating the safe space required for these students to succeed. A part of the class was also to equip these students with the skills necessary to build resiliency, self-regulation, compassion and engage in restorative justice and conflict resolution
Senior Transitions: Skills for Success
We have also worked to provide additional layers of support to grade 9- 12 students at risk of not successfully completing the graduation program in semester one. In our “Skills for Success” class, this cohort of students learned about and practiced growth mindset strategies, explored goal-setting and approaches to personal organization. In addition, this program monitored the student's academics, providing them with guidance and support so they could see success across all their classes. There was also a focus on Social-Emotional Learning (self-awareness, responsible decision-making and strategies for overall well-being).
The approach of the teacher was that of a skill builder, cheerleader and advocate. As different students required different supports, this class was also highly personalized. The teacher ensured that there was no homework, and that the skills being taught could be applied to the students’ other classes. There was a significant focus on not being judgmental of each other’s situations. The students were encouraged to try to understand and demonstrate compassion towards what other students were going through personally. In addition, the teacher and students openly discussed the mental health supports available for anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and trauma (past or present).
OUR NEXT STEPS
Junior Transitions
Students were asked to identify why they believed Transitions support was going to be helpful to them. As a class, they identified a number of barriers to their learning:
- Attendance issues
- Academic difficulties
- Lack of focus
- Mental Health / Stress
- Lack of support with large classes
- Sitting at a desk for too long
- Disconnected or not engaged in school
- Distractions
- Being in uncomfortable situations
- Not feeling connected to our school
We used these survey results to provide a framework for the supports that were offered. Given that so many of the factors listed affected each student differently, the actual supports put in place for students were very personalized.
When asked if the Transitions class had helped them cope with any of the factors listed above, the students responded with the following thoughts:
- Over 85% of the class thought that the class had helped them increase their grades in other classes
- 71% believed they had improved their attendance this semester.
- The students referred to their mood improving at school
- They felt calm
- Feeling positive about themselves
The data taken from the students’ report cards showed an average of 10% increase in achievement during the semester when the students had access to the Transitions support class, compared to their academic performance in the other semester.
Senior Transitions
In the end, a large amount of anecdotal evidence was also collected from both classes. Here is a sample of the feedback from the two cohorts that we tracked:
- This is the class I most want to come to
- There is no judgement here
- I am actually getting school work done
- I like the small class
- I don’t feel trapped like when I am in a regular class.
- This is a safe place, some classes I am scared to even ask for a break
- You can be yourself in here
- This is my decompression time during the day
The data taken from the students’ report cards showed an average of 14% increase in achievement during the semester when the students had access to the Transitions support class, compared to their academic performance in the other semester .
Our learners are developing their Social-Emotional skills and capacities. In the areas of self-awareness and reflection, mental well-being, responsible decision-making and positive connection and belonging, students demonstrated an increase in their ability to:
1. Identify strategies to promote mental well-being
2. Identify their passions, strengths and areas for growth
3. Reflect on their learning needs and styles
4. Identify a trusted adult or activity that is connecting them to the school
5. Continue to change their story for themselves and others.
Our learners can use self-assessment and reflection to develop awareness of their strengths, preferences and skills.
Student Weekly / Daily Learning Plans: The following sample provides examples of scaffolded organizational and self-management tools which students were encouraged to use throughout the semester. Students used the weekly planner (blue) to keep track of school and personal responsibilities. The daily planner (yellow) helped students to organize and prioritize work that they needed to complete. This provided students with a visual checklist, which eased some of the stressors of increasing academic rigor and social pressures.
Reflections on the Learning Process: Throughout the semester, students were given opportunities to reflect on the learning process and their role in it. By inviting students into conversations and dialogue around the ways they learn, they were increasingly able to demonstrate greater self-awareness of what they need in order to learn. This metacognition proved especially valuable for senior students. Furthermore, students were given the opportunity to reflect on Social-Emotional Learning opportunities that would nourish a positive learning environment.
Students will be able to evaluate and explain strategies for promoting mental well-being.
Students can demonstrate an increased sense of belonging and connection, school engagement and participation.
Our Transitions teacher has connected with our students and has developed a trusting relationship with many of them. By getting to know the students, listening to them and providing opportunities to discover their passions, a sense of belonging and connection has formed.
Surrey Schools
Formed in 1906, the Surrey School District currently has the largest student enrolment in British Columbia and is one of the few growing districts in the province. It is governed by a publicly elected board of seven trustees.
The district serves the cities of Surrey and White Rock and the rural area of Barnston Island.
