This month we were fortunate to have won the Fortis Grant for our school. The purpose of the Grant is to focus on empowering communities and schools to generate safety programs; however, this year, for the first time, Fortis has supported us for a different type of safety: Mental Safety. Each year we create and purchase resources, train teachers, and bring in speakers to aid in teaching and promoting healthy mental health and increase resiliency in our students. There tends to be a stigma around mental health in today’s society and at times can be viewed as being “mentally unstable”. Talking about mental health is no different than talking about physical health: Just as our bodies require care and attention, so to our brain. When we talk to our elementary students about mental health, we talk about healthy thinking habits, healthy relationships, thinking positively, problem-solving, and understanding and managing the range of emotions one has. At the middle school level, mental health is about all of the above, but also includes understanding how to support those who are experiencing difficulties about mental health; such as, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, addictions, unhealthy relationships, etc.). Generally, Langdon School puts money towards such resources and materials each year to support these initiatives; however, because of the Fortis Grant, we will be able to offset the cost.
When students feel resilient in themselves, their relationships, and in school, their motivation toward school increases and strengthens. Tolerance and understanding of others are not a given with all children. They, like us, require encouragement, healthy examples, mentors, and education. Our goal when it comes to mental health at school is to educate; but overall, it is to help our students be the best version of themselves. Have a wonderful New Year!
