Torch - 2021 Edition

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Role-playing helps our older students, too. They may work through some of the topics presented through our Diveristy, Equity and Inclusion programming, such as examining their own beliefs and value systems, reflecting on the importance of their name as an identity feature and critically examining the language that supports privilege and bias. Through role-playing, our students explore how a community made up of different values, cultures and identities can be inclusive and closely bonded. Similarly, when our Guidance Counsellors engage students on an important topic like resilience, they can practise how to manage adversity and develop the internal mechanisms that protect against despair. The Boarding Program provides additional opportunities to develop wellbeing. Students work through the Seven Skills of Conscious Discipline, an evidence-based approach that builds awareness of the internal states that drive behaviour. Students learn to consciously manage their thoughts and emotions so they can better self-regulate in the face of conflict and stress, which then improves their learning, problem-solving, co-operation and goal achievement. The seven skills are named—composure, encouragement, assertiveness, choices, empathy, positive intent and consequences—and then exercised in small groups so they can internalize these lifelong skills. Preparing for the Future Practising the skills of wellbeing helps our students to engage in a healthy way with present and future possibilities and be prepared for the unexpected. They gain the ability to be strategic—to assess patterns, shift perspectives, weigh options, calculate outcomes. With a reliable framework for making decisions, they are equipped to be proactive throughout life, rather than reactive. They can respond to life’s challenges by pulling from a toolbox of inner resources and being intentional about how to proceed, with the confidence that comes from preparation.

A warm and supportive community enhances learning and wellness, and so we deliberately cultivate empathy, kindness and respect for others.

We see our academic, co-curricular and Wellbeing Programs as mutually supportive of one another. And, as in any domain— whether math, science, drama, sport, music—we teach our students that proficiency comes from effort and rehearsal. No one expects to play varsity soccer without putting in the time; or graduate with a degree in chemical engineering without countless hours in the lab; or drop into a symphony orchestra without intense musical study and performance experience. We look at wellbeing the same way. For our students and alumn to thrive in life, and not just in school, they need to understand and apply the skills that build health and wellness. With that preparation, they are ready to make a difference as individuals, citizens and leaders. “

Boarders build community by participating in on-campus Wellbeing activities, such as this weekend tie-dye workshop.

2021 EDITION • TORCH 15