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Message from the Administration

April Report Cards were sent home April 7th, 2017. During this report-

ing period teachers have recognized whether a student is in danger of

failing a course. If your student receives this comment please know

that there are many things that can be done. It is important to note

that it is NOT too late for your son/daughter to bring up their grades.

Parents are encouraged to discuss with teachers some strategies

which will be helpful like ensuring they are coming to each class pre-

pared, using a planner to organize study time, making sure all out-

standing work and assignments are passed in on time, attending tuto-

rials, increasing use of study guides are just some of a few sugges-

tions.

Please encourage your you child to continue to work hard and give their

best effort. There are approximately seven weeks left before the start

of final exams. Hard work and effort during these last few weeks can

make a significant difference to academic achievement.

Although we have not scheduled formal parent/teacher interviews at

this time please feel free to contact teachers if you have any com-

ments, questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued support .

Principal: Bridget Ricketts Assistant Principal : Dave Stinson

Upcoming Events and Dates

April 7 to 9 : Grade 11 boys NLBA Bas-

ketball tournament at WVHS

April 14-23 : Easter Break

April 24th : School reopens Day 1

April 26 & 27 : Rotary Music Festival

May 1 : Theatre Arts and Music Pre-

sent –NOT MYSELF TODAY

May 1st to 4th: Mental Wellness Week

AP Exams: May 1—AP Psych, May 3—AP

English, May 9th—AP French

May 5th : NL Heritage Fair at WVH.

School will be closed for teacher PD

May 19: Prom and Safe Grad

May 22—Victoria Day Holiday

May 30 : Fine Arts Night

May TBD: Student Government Elec-

tions

May TBD: RUN For It program Kickoff

Final Exam start June 12th

Last Day of School June 22nd

April 2017 Issue

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WVH Easter 2017 Adventure!

Fifty lucky WVH students and staff are on the verge of an exciting adventure for Easter

2017. On April 13th, we are escaping the Newfoundland snow for eleven days and are

heading out to spend a several days in Paris, then off to travel and visit many destinations

throughout Italy! Florence, Milan, Rome, Capri, and Pompeii are just a few of the spots we

will be exploring and learning about on our Grand Adventure!

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled on our website to check for daily updates, tweets, etc.

If this sounds like something of interest but you were not able to make this trip, no wor-

ries; Mr. Bob Smith is planning a fantastic trip for next Easter. Feel free to drop him an

email to investigate the possibility of joining up for Easter 2018!

Easter 2018

During Easter Break 2018, Mr. Bob Smith will be taking Waterford Valley High

students to 5 different European Countries on trip of a life time. This will be an

11 day educational tour including Paris, Munich and Vienna. There is a limited

number of spaces available and the tour is about one half full right now. If you

are interested or have any questions please contact Mr. Bob Smith

atrobertsmith@nlesd.ca

Repairs to WVH

During the wind storm on March 31st several pieces of side were blown from

the front of Waterford Valley High. For the safety of students and staff the

building was closed early and everyone was sent home. When the wind calmed

down facilities were able to make temporary repairs by removing sections of

loose siding and tightening up other areas. The main goal was safety and per-

manent repairs will be completed this summer.

New Trophy Case!

Waterford Valley High is so

proud to finally have our very

first trophy case installed in

our main lobby! We will now

be able to proudly display

many of our students accom-

plishments and accolades!

Thanks to our Christmas Craft

fundraiser and all those that

supported it in helping our

school purchase this awesome

addition for the school!

Post It Project!

Monday, April 4th our Mental Health Committee participated

in the Post It Project! Students worked hard to share positive

messages to each and every one of our students by posting

a message on their locker. #postitproject @mymhcnl

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Fitness and physical activity are important parts of overall wellbeing. Sports teams and extracurricular and

Co-curricular activities at Waterford Valley High School support this. In this past term a variety of exciting events

occurred.

Senior Girls Basketball team Undefeated Season

The Senior Girls Basketball team was

undefeated this season winning a num-

ber of exhibition games as well as the

Keith Keating Memorial Tournament,

Gonzaga Invitational, O’Donel Invita-

tional, Hall of Fame Cup and the SSNL

‘AAAA’ Championship. Of note is that

we are 63-1 over the last two years and

are back to back ‘AAAA’ and Hall of

Fame Cup Champions.

Senior Girls Volleyball

The girls had an amazing season!

Volleyfest - First Place

Clarenville Subway Classic - First Place

MUN Burger King Invitational - First

Place

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Grade 10 Girls Basketball

They went through round robin undefeated and had a

heartbreaking loss in championship game. They walked

away with silver medals which was impressive given

level of competition.

RUN For It Program

Objective is to provide female students with the information and strategies

for managing mental health in order to, boost confidence and educate them

on the impact of exercise and its relation to mental health wellness.

It's a 6 week gradual training program for running combined with mental health awareness, and how both physi-

cal and mental health combined leads to a better overall well being. This program will provide the tools and re-

sources to help aid in both mental health education and run training.

Female students will train as a group 2X / week. They will be training to participate in the SHOPPERS LOVE. YOU.

Run for Women 5k/10k Run/Walk talking place on June 25, 2017

Sessions will include brief education on mental health or a running topic followed by run training.

For more information contact Bernadette Donahue (R-132) WVHS or at bernadettedonahue@nlesd.ca.

Announcement will be made after Easter Holidays regarding information session and sign up.

Ski Trip to White Hills

Our annual ski trip to White Hills was a great success! We had a beautiful

sunny day. Conditions were excellent. Students and teachers had a fun

day. Of the 50 students who attended; 20% of them had never skied or

snowboarded before. After a few tries, a good attitude and determination,

they were hooked. What a great way to try skiing or snowboarding for the

first time. What an awesome day! Already looking forward to next year.

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WVH Animal Care & Welfare Group

Two new groups are up and running at WVH. One of these groups is WVHS Animal

Care and Welfare Group whose purpose is to create awareness about such topics

as; factory farming, feral cat colonies, the treatment and use of animals in the cos-

metics, medical and food industries, animal shelters and rescues in NL and how

to volunteer with them, making kind choices and initiatives to care for and protect

animals world-wide. The students involved with this group will be holding craft and

bake sales at school to raise money for two non-profit NL animal groups this year.

Money made from fundraising activities will go to support “Mollie’s Dream” and

“Feral Felines”. Both rescues are “dedicated to improving the lives of stray and feral cats in NL by establishing a

Trap, Neuter Return (TNR) Program. TNR programs consists of trapping and vetting stray and feral cats, finding

homes for any kittens deemed to be adoptable, and returning those who could not be socialized to their original

location where they will be fed, sheltered and monitored for wellness.”Contact Ms. Norman if interested in joining.

We meet every Wednesday and Friday in Ms. Feltham’s/Ms. Dwyer’s Art Room at lunch time.

WVH Mural Group

This past fall, the WVH Mural Club has taken submissions from students interested in enhancing the walls of WVHS

with their artistic abilities. The Mural Club has very specific and clear

guidelines regarding thed evelopment of a school mural and paintings

that have educational value and are curriculum-based are preferred. All

submitted ideas will go before the School Mural Committee to be re-

viewed and the most appropriate design for specific areas of the school

will be chosen. A select number of students will be starting some designs

for the LRC in the near future. Once completed, we will be taking more

submissions from other interested students for our next project. The Mu-

ral Club meets in the Art Room on Wednesdays and Fridays at lunch.

Prom/Safe Grad Activities

This year's Prom is fast approaching, the date is Friday May 19, 2017 at

the location is the St. John's Convention Centre. The Meet and Greet will

start at 5 pm and the Grand March starting at 6 pm. Students will have

to be at Waterford Valley High before 1 am for entry into safe

Grad. There is a power point presentation linked to the School's website

with information concerning the Prom and Safe Grad.

Our Main Office is a busy place during the school day so we will be sell-

ing Prom tickets on April 26th, 27th and 28th from 3:30 - 7

pm only. Then we will be selling tickets from May 1st - May 10th during

the school day, students may purchase tickets before school, lunch time

or after school and parents can purchase tickets between 8:15 - 3:45 on

school days.

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Social Justice Coffee House!

Waterford Valley High School's Social Justice Committee WVHS Social Jus-

tice Group held a Coffee House in Aid of the Pottle Centre in March.

The Pottle Centre is a social centre for consumers of mental health services

in St. John's. [http://pottlecentre.org/] Representatives from the Pottle

Centre were in attendance and were very grateful for the generous donation

we were able to make. Thanks to all out talented performers and to every-

one who supported this event.

Waterford Valley High Soup Kitchen

WVH students, along with teacher sponsors, Cheryl Tucker and Steve Moores, volunteer their time Thursday after-

noons making soup and chilli to support Thrive’s Street Reach program. Formed in 2005, Street Reach supports

individuals who are struggling with food security. They operate in the downtown core of St. John’s, and with the help

of school soup clubs like the one at WVH, feed nutritious soup, casseroles and baked goods to their clients every

Tuesday and Thursday evening. On average, they serve 150 bowls of soup a week, which would not be possible

without the coordinated help of volunteer soup kitchens like the one at our school. WVH Soup Kitchen plans to

continue their partnership with Street Reach for many years to come.

WVH Kids Eat Smart Breakfast Program

WVH Kids Eat Smart Breakfast Program has been providing a free,

grab and go breakfast every morning from Monday to Friday, thanks

to its many teacher and student volunteers. The program is open to

anyone at WVH and offers fresh fruit, yogurt, cheese sticks, granola and nutrigrain bars, applesauce and 100% fruit

juice boxes. A healthy breakfast helps our students get off on the right foot every morning!

Our Breakfast Program will gladly accept monetary and food donations to help fill our KES Cupboards. If you would

like to donate, you can drop off a breakfast item (peanut free please!) or a monetary donation to the school. You

can also make your donation online at www.kidseatsmart.ca and designate our school to receive your gift. It’s im-

portant to ensure our students start their days well nourished and ready to learn.

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Waterford Valley High School

Science Fair 2017 Winners List

A number of very innovative and well conducted projects were presented

at this years science fair. Well done to all those who participated and con-

gratulations to the winning projects listed below

Experimental Projects

1st Place - Ethan King -‘All in the Family’

2nd Place - Curtis Collins - ‘Determining Efficacy of Chemoprevention’

2nd Place - Amy Short & Willow George - ‘Effect of Shrimp Shells on the Growth of Radishes’

3rd Place - Matthew Halliday & Josh Halliday - ‘Corrosion and pH’

3rd Place - Emily Murphy - ‘Shining a Light on the Matter’

Honourable Mention - Sarah Crocker & Heidi Turpin - ‘Acid Precipitation’

Non-Experimental Projects

1st Place - Julian Edwards - ‘Fracking’

2nd Place - Tim Vey - ‘Evolution of the Bulb’

2nd Place - Katherine Dibbon - ‘Vitamin D Supplementation’

3rd Place - Jada Murphy & Kamrin Murphy - ‘Clone Wars’

Honourable Mention - Nathan Randell & Macauley Gates - ’The Mandela Effect’

- Evan Murphy - ‘Empty Subscribers-You Tube’s Vanished Viewers’

- Maddy Leonard - ‘Facts about Snacks’

Reverse Engineering

1st Place - Chloe French - ‘Night Light’

2nd Place - Josh Sinnott - ‘Hair Dryer’

2nd Place - Aiden Warren - ‘Toaster’

3rd Place - Jan Knitter & Jordan Brake - ‘Two Stroke Engine’

Honourable Mention - Michael Richards ‘Keyboard’

Honourable Mention - Nathan Short -‘Tattoo Gun’

Invention

1st Place - Emma Harvey & Taylor Alexander - ‘Hovercraft’

2nd Place - Josh Clarke & Noelle McDonald - ‘When Disaster Strikes’

Design Challenge – Popsicle Stick Bridge

1st Place - Devon Syster (142 lbs)

2nd Place - Jacob Fitzgerald & Wes Isaacs (108 lbs)

3rd Place - Colin Brace & Ben Hillyard (85 lbs)

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WVH Music

Our Music Department has been very busy!

In March, our choir participated in a Choral

Connections workshop. They performed for 5

other high schools and also got to listen to the

other schools' choirs. Renowned choral direc-

tors Scott Leithead (Edmonton) and Nelson

Nagenda (Nimibia) worked with our choir and

then all the schools learned an African song

together from Nelson and sang as one giant

choir. It was truly and experience we will never

forget!

Our Concert Band is preparing to perform at a

workshop on Wednesday, April 26. Members of

the National Arts Orchestra from Ottawa will

work with our band. We are looking forward to

this great opportunity!

As well, many of our ensembles are preparing for the Rotary Music Festival which runs April 25 - May 4.

Our schedule is as follows:

Clinics (D.F. Cook Recital Hall, MUN Music School):

Concert Choir: Thursday, April 27, 3:05pm - 3:45 pm.

Chamber Choir:Thursday, April 27, 3:50 - 4:30pm

Jazz Band: Sunday, April 30, 4:05 - 4:55pm

Concert Band: Wednesday, May 3, 3:45 - 4:30pm.

Concert (ALL GROUPS) Holy Heart of Mary Theatre: Wednesday, May 3, 7pm

(students must be there 6:15pm and stay for the duration of the concert).

***All students must provide their own transportation to and from clinics and concerts***

***Students must be at their clinic 1 hour before it starts***

The clinics are free and anyone can attend so feel free to come out and support our Fine Arts Warriors!

The concert at Holy Heart is $10 cash at the door and free for children.

More information and a full schedule for Rotary Music Festival can be found

at www.rotarymusicfestival.org

Sadly (for me!), some of our Fine Arts students must graduate this year. Several students have signed up

to perform at prom and we are looking forward to hearing these talented students on May 19. If you want

to perform but haven't signed up yet, see EVOY ASAP!

And finally, our FINE ARTS NIGHT will be held on May 30! More details to come on that later!

And of course we will be having our Fine Arts Concert in late May. Stay tuned for more details on that!

WVH Concert Choir working with Nelson and Scott at the Choral

Connections Workshop in March.

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Waterford Valley High ART Program

Students at Waterford Valley High produce many find works in a variety of media in their art classes. These are

just a few of them. As well the Artists of the Month for February 2017 are displayed. Congratulations Katie and

Aimu. Great work!!

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English Department News

The English Department has had a very busy term. Many of our students have

participated in speakouts and Drama Fest. As well, our drama teacher Justin

Nurse, played a spectacular performance as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar

which was held at the Arts and Culture Centre in March.

In March the Waterford Hospital Lion’s Club sponsored a speakout at Wa-

terford Valley High. Madison Kenny placed first, Benjamin Pollard placed

second and Kamea Bellows took third place. Hannah Noseworthy, Maris-

sa Warren and Kathleen Conran received honorary mention at the same

event. Madison Kenny advanced to the regional Lion’s Club Speakout.

Benjamin Pollard represented the school at the Northwest Rotary

Speakout. Both students were exemplary ambassadors for Waterford Val-

ley High.

At Drama Fest Waterford Valley stole the show with many awards including the following: Best sound design Nic

O'Keefe; Best Sound Engineer Nic O'Keefe; Best En-

trance (command of the moment) Ben Pollard; Best

stage combat! Ben Pollard and Nathan Winsor; Best set

design! (Second year running); Nomination for best

Sound Folio! Ezzy Doyle; Nomination for Best Voice.

(Whole cast); And the big finish.... Best Supporting Actor

Winner Sarah Leonard; and finally 2 Nominations for

Best Actor, Ben Pollard and Nathan Winsor! Congratula-

tions to Mr. Justin Nurse for leading our students to such

dramatic heights.

The Theatre Art Class and Music Program are busily putting together an Arts Smarts Funded musical NOT MYSELF

TODAY. This musical will be presented at WVH on May 1. It is being staged and directed by writer/vocal teacher

and mental health advocate Courtney Fowler.

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Mental Wellness at WVH

Students on the Mental Wellness Committee met in secret recently to

surprise students and staff with special positive messages. This was a

joint project with the Metro Youth Mental Health Committee NL in

which all students across the city came to school with hundreds of

messages on Post it Notes placed on student lockers and throughout

the building.

Mental Wellness week will be held from May 1st - 4th. The schedule of events is below:

Monday: Special performance of Not Myself Today in the morning and lunch time activities.

Tuesday: Concurrent sessions in the morning and Therapy Dogs at lunch

Wednesday: Physical Literacy and Art Therapy at lunch

Thursday: Concurrent sessions in the morning and Community Lunch

Students will be given the opportunity to choose two one hour sessions from a variety of guest speak-

ers. Topics range from healthy relationships, physical well being, and suicide prevention to name a few.

The play Not Myself Today will be the result of the hard work of many people including Mr. Justin Nurse,

Ms. Susan Evoy, Ms. Jenny Dwyer, Ms. Leanne Ward and Ms. Courtney Fowler. Ms. Fowler is a well

known local artist who is funded by the ArtsSmarts program to work with our students. Of course, this

event will highlight the talent and hard work of numerous students. It will prove to be a powerful event.

There will be a performance in the evening open to the parents and the public on May 1st. More details

to follow. Thanks to our sponsors.

Gay Straight Alliance

From March 13 to March 17 WVH's Gender Sexuality

Alliance (GSA) hosted its Purple Week. During this

week we invited guest speakers Andrew Stokes from

So You Think You Can Dance, Canada, TED-X speaker

Dane Woodland, and documentary filmmaker MHA

Gerry Rogers to share their experiences with our stu-

dents. Those who were in attendance came away with

a respect for the bravery of these individuals. The

week ended with a social time in Mr. Howse's class-

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Student Government Activities

Thanks to student government for a fantastic Spirit Week in March. Dodge ball was a highlight throughout the

previous week leading up to the championship games to mark the beginning of the week. Students demon-

strated their tremendous musical talent in our lunchtime show. WVH own version of the Price is Right finished

the week in which lucky contestants competed for some excellent prizes. There was also a very special per-

formance of Bhangra by Anmold Kaur, Komal Kaur and Twinkle Kaur.

Student Government Elections

Student Government Elections will take place in May for the positions of President (Level III), Vice-President

(Level III) and Vice-President (Level II). Students are required to have strong leadership experience to be con-

sidered for these positions. The remaining positions will be elected in the fall. More details to follow.

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SHAD Program

Congratulations to Kamea Bellows, level 1 student, who has been chosen to partici-

pate in the 2017 SHAD program. SHAD is a unique program that focuses on sci-

ence, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. It allows exceptional high

school students to recognize what they are capable of and their potential to becom-

ing future leaders. Kamea will spend the month of July at McMaster University in

Hamilton, Ontario. Good luck Kamea!

Sanofi Biogenious Competition

"Congratulations to Kurtis Collins for placing second place in

the Atlantic Region Sanofi Biogenius Competition, on his

project 'Flaxseed-Derived Lignan Secoisolariciresinol Digluco-

side Protects Human CCD-18Co (Colon) Cells from ROS

mtDNA Damage', Kurtis researched in the MUN Terry Fox

Cancer Research Laboratory, alongside Dr. Gary Paterno".

Who Wants to Save a Life $1000 winners

Waterford Valley High School won the Provincial Workplace

NL game show, "Who Wants To Save A Life?". The Team was

coached by Mr. Bob Smith and consisted of Ava Provencher,

Nick Provencher, Ben Pollard, Tara Foley and Meaghan

O'Leary, each student received a $1000 scholarship. "Who

Wants to Save a Life?" is presented by Workplace NL and is a fast-paced energized

game which heightens awareness of occupational health and safety.

WVH Bingo & Raffle

On March 26th, WVH held its’ first Bingo/Raffle fundraiser and it was a great

success! We had tremendous support from our students, teachers and school

community. Every contribution from donating a grocery and/or raffle item to the

generous donation of time from our numerous student, teacher and school

council volunteers each helped make this a wonderful community event and

successful fundraiser. It was through this combined effort and support we raised $3800.00! We decided to put

this money towards the purchase of Chromebooks for students with a charging cart to extend our ability to pro-

vide access to technology for our classes. WVH thanks everyone for their support!

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Volunteer / Career Hours Opportunities

Cycle for Sight Newfoundland If you require any additional information, visit our website www.cycleforsight.ca

Date: Sunday, July 30, 2017

Time: 6:30 am – 4:00 pm

Location: 139 Mayor Ave, St John’s, NL A1C 3G2

Volunteer duties include:

- Setting up signs

- Registering riders and collecting donations

- Manning refreshment stations and cheering riders en route

- Set up and clean-up crew

Interested Volunteers should contact Diem Luong at dluong@ffb.ca

Tely 10 Photographer

NLAA (Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association), are in the

process of planning this year's Tely 10 Mile Road Race and are offer-

ing a wonderful opportunity to students interested in photography. We

are looking for numerous students to aide in this year’s race by taking

photographs throughout the race. Depending upon the number of

photos taken this may be a paid opportunity. Contact Daniel Connors

at tely10@nlaa.ca

For Students with Disabilities and or

Special Needs

Brigadoon Village is a year-round recreational facility that offers camp

programming to children and youth living with a chronic illness, chronic

condition or special need. See http://brigadoonvillage.org/ for all the

details!!

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WVH Guidance Department

POST SECONDARY?

Career Planning??? Remember to use the excellent resources available to you, particularly

careercruising.com: Login – Waterford; Password – Warriors. Explore career options for

people who are good at writing, sports, communication, tinkering with gadgets, animation,

etc. Find out where post-secondary programs are offered, job prospects, a typical day in the

life of …, and so on. SchoolFinder.com, yconic.com, studentscholarships.org, & stu-

dentscholarships.com are other excellent sources. Sign-up to receive information about

various programs. Remember – your career journey is yours – no one else can figure it out but you! You have to

ask the questions, do the research & make plans. It’s important to engage in your career planning process but

don’t stress yourself out! You’re not going to get it wrong! Start with looking into the kinds of things you enjoy &

think you may be good at – then explore the options. You’re not stuck – your career journey will have may turns &

new directions throughout your working life, and your paid job is one aspect of your career. Your life-career will

continue to include hobbies, volunteer activities, family, friends, & new learning.

The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE NL) Student Summer Employment Program (SSEP) application is

now available! The WISE SSEP has placed hundreds of female students from across the province in paid Science

and Engineering research positions. There are 46 full- time paid positions to offer students for 7 weeks over the

summer. Who can apply? Female students who will have completed Grade 11 (Level II) this year and who will be

returning to high school in the fall. Go to ssep@wisenl.ca. Applications are due May 1st.

Going to MUN in September? MUN Interviews for graduating students are scheduled for FRIDAY, APRIL 28/17.

Interviews will be scheduled for all students who have applied. Ms. Jackson & Ms. Vanta will be scheduling stu-

dent appointments – information about this will be available after the Easter break. The Guide to First Year is

now available at www.mun.ca/advice/guide. This is an excellent resource that students may wish to review be-

fore their interview. Students are also advised to set up/use a gmail account for MUN correspondence (emails

from MUN to some hotmail accounts have sometimes gone directly to junk mail!) Planning on studying Nursing

after high school? Be sure you have the right academic courses in order to apply directly to Nursing after school.

MEDQuest is an exciting career-oriented program for students in Levels I-III who are interested in careers in the

health sciences. MEDQuest is offered July 3 – August 11, 2017, covering six one-week sessions. MEDQuest is

intended to introduce students to the fascinating world of health sciences and rewarding careers such as doctors,

physiotherapists, pharmacists, dentists, veterinarians, nurses or researchers. Applications and information about

program content, dates, costs, accommodations & more can be found my visiting www.med.mun.ca/medquest.

Scholarships! Scholarships! Scholarships! Updated & comprehensive scholarship information is available from

the Guidance link on our school website. Check out the “virtual scholarship meeting” for advice & handouts.

Student Aid Applications for the 2017-2018 school year will be available online by the mid June. Check out the

website www.gov.nl.ca/studentaid or call 729-5849 for updated information

Volunteer Opportunity with Heart & Stroke. The Jump Rope of Heart Coordinator is looking for support counting

skipping ropes and prepping for her upcoming events. Interested students with free time over Easter Break look-

ing for volunteer experience can contact Katie Greene at 753 8521 ext 1028 or katie.greene@heartandstroke.ca

It would only be for a morning or two at our office located at 1037 Topsail Road, Mount Pearl.I

SMS – Digital Citizenship: Four Internet & Social Media Safety (ISMS) Lesson Plans were delivered to all students

at WVH in March-April. An information letter to all parents/guardians regarding this important NLESD initiative

was sent home in March & is available on our school website. Utilizing District recommended resources, WVH

Safe & Caring Schools Committee developed comprehensive PowerPoint presentations & handouts that were de-

livered & discussed with all students, covering the following topics: Digital Law, Digital Health & Wellness, Digital

Security, and Sexting. We encourage all parents/guardians to refer to the information on our website.

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Calm your mind: Transform your life

Jeremy Bennett recently presented to the students & staff of WVH. It was a powerful, in-

sightful and very informative presentation. Jeremy told students that stress and anxiety

were natural normal occurrences and that they serve an important function in our lives. He

went on to talk about how stress and anxiety can get out of control and what we can do to

calm our minds. For example how not to take things personally, how not to let things over-

whelm you and things we can do every day to reduce negative thinking. Check out Jeremy’s

website at www.jeremybennett.ca

What is the BreathingRoom™

The BreathingRoom™ is an eight-module, online self-management program which assists people between the

ages of 13 and 24 manage stress, depression and anxiety. Developed by the Canadian Institute for Natural and

Integrative Medicine (CINIM), the BreathingRoom™ is a clinically proven, award-winning program endorsed by

the Mental Health Commission of Canada. This program, which is now available through the youth and

adult Bridge the gAPP websites and apps (http://youth.bridgethegapp.ca/ and http://adult.bridgethegapp.ca/ )

The program consists of 8 modules which include:

• Visualizations to help you relax and take a break from the pressures of life,

• Fresh insights from a medical expert that have helped others move forward in their lives,

• An engaging program host who guides you through the program and shares personal experiences,

• Simple off-line activities to try out the ideas presented,

• Music that expresses emotions we can all relate to,

• Movie and book suggestions,

• True stories written by young people who have dealt with a tough situation, and

• Jokes to lighten your mood.

If you have an open mind and the courage to try something new, this program might be just what you are looking for to cre-

ate the life you’ve always wanted. BreathingRoom is not intended to replace assessment, diagnosis or treatment from

health care professionals. If you are in need of urgent help call 911 for an emergency, 811 for the Provincial HealthLine.

What is Strongest Families? Strongest Families provides timely care to families by teaching positive

parenting and coping skills through a distance coaching approach over

the phone and Internet in the comfort and privacy of the family’s home.

Strongest Families provides a prescribed and customized cognitive be-

havioral therapy program to children ages 3-17 and their families over

a 12-week period for mild to moderate anxiety and behavioural issues

as an early intervention response. The program supports children and

youth with anxiety, behavioural difficulties (e.g., symptoms related to

oppositional defiance, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and bully-

ing behaviours) and nighttime bedwetting. Families are contacted with-

in 24-48 business hours of receiving a referral. If you are interested in

accessing this free counselling service please contact a school counsellor for referral information.

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