Five St.Mary's College students spent their weekend at a virtual conference, hosted by School Mental Health Ontario with 30 other students across the province.
The conference focused on the mental health of teenagers, and awareness of issues around mental health.
The students collaborated with each other and other students in workshops.
For more information, please see the press release included below.
Issues in mental health do not take the weekend off, and the students of St. Mary’s College (SMC) have responded accordingly.
This past Saturday, as part of a virtual conference hosted by School Mental Health Ontario, five St. Mary’s Knights met with 30 other students from across the province to discuss important issues related to teenage mental health. The initiative came together through SMC’s IMPACT Team, a group that helps to inspire and promote the positive culture for which St. Mary’s College has been known over the past 65 years.
“It was really important for us to participate in this week’s provincial conference,” said Grade 10 student, Elizabeth Gavey, a member of IMPACT who also participates on SMC’s volleyball and badminton teams. “We learned a lot about mental health and the signs to look for when teens are struggling with depression or anxiety.”
Sydney Withers, also in Grade 10 and on the school’s IMPACT team, wholeheartedly agreed. “It was a chance for us to collaborate with others not just from our own school but from across all of Ontario and even some from the United States.” Withers also commented on the conference’s timeliness—occurring during a global pandemic which, for many, has brought mental health issues to the forefront.
St. Mary’s students were actively engaged throughout the conference in various small-group workshops that not only highlighted key issues in mental health awareness, but the leadership that students can demonstrate during difficult times.
“The workshop I attended was about maintaining your own mental health while also supporting the mental health of others,” said Grade 12 student Adam Morgenstern, whose numerous roles at SMC include Student Trustee for the HSCDSB, Co-Chair of Student Senate, and Media Design Coordinator for the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association. “Now more than ever, during the pandemic, it’s important to recognize what is ‘more than a bad day.’ This workshop gave us extra tools to have in our back pocket when navigating through friendships and relationships with our peers.”
As part of the weekend’s events, students were treated to powerful keynote addresses from Pen Moodz, a Canadian poet who has garnered international attention for ‘speaking truth to power,’ as well as from Indigenous Youth Advocate, Theland Kicknosway.
“The event featured a lot of various cultures,” commented Ava Barone, a Grade 9 student who is enjoying her first year on the school’s IMPACT team. “We also got equipped with places to go, websites to visit, and hotlines to call. There are many resources that are available for us to promote.”
Grade 12 student, Andrew Chilelli, agreed that the conference was a meaningful learning tool to help the Knights continue to inspire positive leadership and change in the school community.
“It’s something that’s lacking in a lot of areas for young people across the province,” said Chilelli, a member of SMC’s football and badminton teams, math team and Link Crew. “At the conference, we learned about what’s called the Metre Approach. If you see a change in someone for two weeks—that is the metre stick—then it might be time to get in contact with them or to encourage them to get in contact with someone else. Tools like these help us to create such a supportive environment at St. Mary’s College.”
It is nothing new for St. Mary’s staff members to witness their students hard at work on leadership initiatives, especially during after-school hours.
“I had the honour of watching our students in action this weekend at the conference,” smiled Mario Rocchetta, a teacher moderator for SMC IMPACT. “They did a tremendous job representing themselves, our school, and our Catholic faith on the provincial stage.”
St. Mary’s College Vice-Principal, Tiziana Palumbo, echoed Rocchetta’s sentiments.
“We are incredibly proud of our Knights who embraced the opportunity to participate in this conference this weekend,” shared Palumbo. “School Mental Health Ontario’s initiative enables us to actualize the board’s strategic direction of ensuring a safe learning community where students are cherished, listened to and included. Experiences like this really empower our students to discover their purpose, and serve their school community with integrity and courage.”