On Friday 14th June we celebrated our third Wellbeing Focus Day with the theme of diversity in the 21st century and using our unique personal strengths. Our Year 11 and 12 students with Tomorrow Man and Tomorrow Woman presenters investigated the challenges and stereotypes faced in society and how they can start new conversations and re-write the rule book on what it means to be a man or woman in the 21st century. Keynote speaker Nick Bracks, son of former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks, actor and model is an advocate for mental health and shared his battles with depression and anxiety and how he took the important step to seek help and how it turned his life around. Nick’s engaging speech highlighted to our students that support is out there and we need to remove the stigma around mental health illnesses to break down the barriers to accessing that support.
Throughout the day students were asked to step outside their comfort zone, reflect and review their beliefs and values and also show gratitude to someone who has helped them in anyway this year. Our other speakers local legend and former AFL star Andrew Walker, Christy O’Brien a writer with The Splendid Word, and Sandra Carey from Community Living and Respite Services ran workshops that inspired resilience, changed attitudes and gave students tools to look after themselves and each other every day. The middle of the day gave staff the opportunity to run workshops that explored the many skills and interests of our students with activities such as origami, yoga, card making, chalk art, samurai shiatsu and mountain bike riding just to name a few.
Throughout the day students had access to Zone activities such as laser tag, zorb soccer, a rock climbing wall, inflatable-meltdown and bungy run. While at lunchtime students had the chance to use the dunking machine to send some of their favourite teachers and principals into icy cold water. The many food vans from companies like Shebani’s, Echuca Ice-Creamery, Murray River Tea Rooms, Domino’s, Twin Rivers Café, Coffee Addiction and Fusion Café kept students and staff salivating through lunchtime and the Bike n’ Blend machines made students earn the nice reward of a cold fruit smoothie.
The day was completed with a friendly but competitive game of zorb soccer with Year 12 students taking on staff and then a whole school colour run on the oval.
Overall our day was a great success with students and staff having the time to build relationships with each other, celebrate each other’s unique personal strengths and express gratitude for the great school community we share.
Be sure to check out our YouTube Channel for the Highlights Reel and the Dance Evolution videos : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJBY3IAKcT03Ky0aBx0aCXg
