Jack.org is Canada’s only charity training and empowering young people to break down barriers to positive mental health. On March 6, 2019, our HNMCS jack.org chapter president, Rachel Senatore ‘20, and vice president, Noemi Lofranco ‘20, attended the second annual Jack.org COSSOT (Coalition of Single Sex Schools of Toronto) meeting at Havergal College.

The girls shared their experiences with the other schools, and gathered ideas that will help our Jack.org chapter of 28 passionate members continue to grow and enhance future events.

In the past year, the HNMCS Jack.org chapter has launched 12 initiatives helping raising awareness about mental health. The latest event took place on April 5, when students received a Kit-Kat bar as a small reminder to “take a break” and were encouraged to make time for themselves and pay attention to their mental wellbeing every day.

May 10 is our Spring Wellness Day and a guest from Jack.org will speak to students from grades 7 to 12. A variety of wellness activities have been designed for our grades 5 and 6 students.

To kick off Earth Month, on April 5, the HNMCS community welcomed Mary Scopino from the Halton Environmental Network. Students and staff watched a documentary about the impact of plastic straws on nature and wildlife.

Our annual Eco Conference took place on April 23 and was organized around the theme of natural disasters. Gayle Soo Chan from the Credit Valley Conservation delivered the keynote address and Middle School students were able to participate in different workshops presented by grade 9 students as part of their culminating curriculum projects. These included everything from volcanoes and mudslides to hurricanes and avalanches.

The Eco Team submitted an application to the Experienced Eco School Certification Cycle for review. We are all excited to receive feedback about our certification within the next few months.