Clayton Heights Secondary 24-25

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.

“SEL programs appear to have as great a long term impact on academic growth as has been found for programs designed specifically to support academic learning.”  (Mahoney, Durlak. and Weissberg, 2018)

“SEL is consistently effective across demographic groups; socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds; and urban, suburban, and rural communities both inside and outside of the United States.”  (The Aspen Institute)

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.

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 2023/2024 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 81% of our student population believes they are developing critical thinking skills, then certainly that percentage is to be celebrated with the knowledge that our work in the classroom is having an impact. However, that also means that nearly one in five students in our school is not believing they are developing these skills,  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 yes and sometimes responses in this survey are encouraging, we know from the data that interventions on a school level are needed. If one in five students would not be able to describe their mental health as positive, or when 34% of all students surveyed do not believe they are learning enough to take care of their own mental health, those problems must be addressed.

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 both the first and second semesters, our Physical Education department organized a number of direct and related presentations and activities in direct and indirect support of mental health education. These included a presentation on the impact of nutrition on the life of a teen, the importance of positive relationships and setting personal boundaries. One of the presentations also focussed on the positive role of technology, including the use of artificial intelligence to be healthy and create a health plan.   On the day that was focussed on how to be self aware of your own  mental health, The students participated in a station activity. These stations included:

• Relaxation
• Art therapy
• Grateful writing
• Mindful eating
• Reflection

For this report, we have included a blank sample of the document our students worked off of and some sample responses.

Examples of Student Responses

In the second semester, our Leadership department organized a second week of Mental Health guest speakers and lunchtime activities.

Monday: Positive messages to self: May 5th

• Our students went to the hub and wrote a message of positivity and stick it to the poster.

Tuesday: Wellness Jars May 6th

• Our students made a wellness jar decorated so that you can remind yourself to do things that are good for your mental health.

Wednesday: Sensory Day May 7th

• This was the chance to come to the hub and  grab slime for just $1.

Thursday: Mental Health Kahoot/Yoga

• Our staff organized a mental health Kahoot where students could win prizes
• An instructor was brought in to conduct a yoga class

Friday: Wellness Fair and Bake Sale May 9th

• vendors from various organizations set up a number of booths for students to visit at lunch to talk about mental health.

Mental Health Week Special Presentations

Jack Taylor’s Presentation on Resilience:

Our week started off with a presentation to staff and students by Jack Taylor. Jack was about to start his grade 12 year in high school when he suffered an accident at his workplace that resulted in the amputation of his arm just above the elbow. This caused him significant difficulties with his mental health, that lead eventually to him needing to deal with post traumatic stress.

One of Jack’s passions prior to his workplace accident had been drumming. He had real interest in joining a band and pursuing a career in music. It occurred to him one day that he could continue drumming, it would just be different. He would look to other musicians like Rick Allen (Def Leppard) for inspiration. He eventually started to overcome his mental health struggles through his work with a drum kit. He now does regular speaking engagements talking to students about resiliency, specifically that they can overcome any problem that they set their minds to, as well as being willing to seek out help when they have a significant problem that is affecting their mental health.

After the presentation, our students were asked to complete a learning survey on Jack’s presentation.

Regarding Stress

What are the top activities that help you when your mental health has been affected?

1, Music

2. Friends

3. Sports

4. video games

5. time with family and friends

Our students were asked about coping with stress, would they seek help right away or wait until they were ready. This question came directly from Jack’s presentation, as he stated that he waited until his 20’s to seek help, even though the accident happened in his teens.

Students were asked an open ended question of who they would most rely on for help. The two most popular answers for our students were people their own age or parents and trusted adults.

We asked our students if they considered themselves resilient.

Our final question to the students was did they  feel this presentation was helpful with regards to Mental Health awareness.

It was very effective and the presentation was super engaging and a fun way to educate and spread awareness for mental health.

This presentation enlightened me to take better initiative to learn more about mental health and how you should always put yourself before others through self love and compassion

It really encouraged me in speaking out about my feelings. In fact I’m thinking about talking to a counsellor today. I’ve bottled up my feelings for too long now.

Ahmad Jabbir’s  presentation on treating mental fitness like we treat physical fitness

Ahmad Jabbir is a YouTube influencer and motivational speaker who has given many presentations on the topics of mental health. The focus of his presentation with our students was to draw the comparison to how many people will think and care and act when it comes to their physical fitness, but do not do anywhere near as much work on their mental fitness. He made an excellent analogy that all of our students could relate to when describing the difference between mental health and mental fitness. Mental health could be described as the power level of your cell phone battery, while mental fitness was charging the battery. His premise was that rather than letting our mental health get low (like a battery) that we employ a number of activities that would create a positive charge for our mental health, thus charging the battery before it gets low or worse yet, runs out of power to positively affect our mental health. His goal is to try and give those students who attend his sessions the mental fitness skills to be able to create a better self-concept.

Ahmad shared his story of being bullied in elementary school and then having significant issues with the fear of being bullied in high school. It was his high school basketball coach that gave him a first look into how to build his mental fitness to perform better in their games. He practiced those skills in university through journaling exercises, in which each day he would remind himself of the positive things that had occurred for him that day. He referred to these as the 3 small wins. This has led to the 7 mental fitness skills which are the main focus of his presentation. Ahmad was clear with these students that students did not need to practice all 7, that starting with one was a great way to begin their mental fitness journey.

Ahmad’s 7 Mental Fitness activities are:

• Find a way to get into nature
• Meditate or a similar activity
• Talk to someone about whatever troubles you
• Give something to someone
• Seek discomfort – train yourself to deal with minor stress, which trains the mind to deal with it.
• Celebrate the small wins, not just the major milestones
• Take your moon shot – try something you think is impossible.

Ahmad also suggested students could create their own, as this was not a list of the only activities that will work to strengthen mental fitness.

At the end of the presentation, our students were given a learning survey.

Most of our students responded that they felt that their mental health was low approximately 1-3 days a month. However, over 40% were experiencing a school week or more of low mental health. This definitely points to a greater need for awareness and check ins throughout the school year.

One of Ahmad’s early interventions in his own life was to journal about the three small wins he would have each day. When our students were asked about what they would consider their three small wins, the answers were incredibly varied. Doing well at school was the most popular answer among the respondents. The various responses are displayed in this wordle.

Our students were asked about Ahmad’s 7 mental fitness exercise idea. The first question was if they could pick only one, what would their top choice be to start a mental fitness routine. The top three responses were:

• Being in nature
• Talk to someone
• Meditate or do a similar activity

Our students were then asked to write briefly on whether the presentation was helpful in bringing awareness to the topic of mental health.

Yes. It was quite simple and easy for people to be engaged in though I would say it was quite relatable too.

It opened my eyes a little bit. From now on I have more activities/mental exercises to do.

I like the fact that he can explain accurately what mental health is.

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.

This is a photo our clubs day, which is held at the beginning of both semesters.

Our schools first debate club competition as a host.

Project Equal and the Halloween for Hunger Food Drive