Public school division board gets school year underway

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on September 25, 2024.

Medicine Hat Public School Division trustees received a couple presentations during the board’s first public meeting of the school year at the division head office Tuesday night.

Our Collective Journey

Representatives with Our Collective Journey provided trustees an update on a program that connects students with resilience coaches who help enhance their mental health by building skills and connecting them with support systems.

The collaborative program uses a resilience scale to help students identify and address negative experiences and connect with positive supports in the community.

During the 2023/24 school year Our Collective Journey was able to connect with approximately 4,000 local students through presentation, lunch and learn sessions and informal group contact, and connect with 97 students on a weekly basis.

“We just talk about and help kids and youth understand what they’re going through today. A lot of us went through a lot of these things as well,” said Ryan Oscar, operations manager with Our Collective Journey. “I’m trying to normalize, not the situation, but normalize reaching out to connect.”

Japanese student exchange program

Seventeen Crescent Heights High School students recently returned from the land of the rising sun and presented some highlights of their trip to trustees.

Along with travelling to Japan, more than 30 Japanese students travelled to Medicine Hat to experience Western culture first hand through the student exchange program.

The exchange program started last April when 38 students from Japan arrived in Medicine Hat and stayed with students’ families for two weeks.

During that time they were introduced to Canadian culture, Indigenous traditions and a winter experience in Elkwater.

In July students from Medicine Hat flew to Japan to experience their rich cultural and family traditions.

“It was fun going to schools and stuff to experience culture with them, but the families really made it something else to spend time with them all,” said Ethan Mellish, Grade 11 student.

The division is planning another student exchange program between Japanese students in 2027.

Agenda

School board trusses also approved a new schedule of school council meetings and updated a professional learning session.