The MSS Mustangs are using the warm weeks of May to become strong leaders and celebrate Spring.
Mental Health Awareness week was from May 22-May 28 and Ms. Orford and Ms. Holson organized small activities to help the Mustangs raise awareness. On Tuesday and Wednesday there was a patch of wall where MSS students and staff could write what helps them destress or calm down. Ideas stretched from playing video games to walking dogs, and by Wednesday afternoon a large portion of the wall was covered. On Thursday, the Magical Paws therapy dogs came in, and were wandering the halls making students laugh and keeping spirits high. Thursday afternoon was special for the teachers, as they all received presents to thank them for their hard work. On Friday, there was a random acts of kindness day with the goal to make students smile.
Monday, May 28 was the final day of Mental Health Awareness Week, with Ms. Orford bringing Stand Up and Speak Out to MSS. Thirty students spent Monday becoming Mental Health ambassadors, which entails learning how to help peers who come to them with problems, being able to sustain a good mental health for themselves, and figuring out how to get peers to approach them. The idea around the event is to encourage students who are struggling with a Mental Health issue to get support from a peer. This technique will be useful for students who don’t feel comfortable talking to an adult about their issues.
On May 23, the Students’ Council ran the Grade 8 Shadow Day. The group spent the morning organizing name tags, partners, and making sure the high school students were pumped up to support their shadows. When the Grade 8s from Assiginack, C.C. Maclean, Central Manitoulin, Sheshagwaning, Lakeview and Little Current arrived at MSS the entire group played “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Cheer.” After a warm welcome by Mr. Mohamed, the high school students and their partners went to second period. The goal of the event was to give Grade 8 students insight on how high school works, and after their first class as a Mustang, the Grade 8s couldn’t contain their excitement. As they enjoyed a pizza lunch, students were talking about their teachers, what clubs and sports they want to join, and how excited they are to join MSS.
April Torkopolous, the student body prime minister, said, “I think Shadow Day positively influenced the thoughts of our future Mustangs. They were able to meet some seniors so they could have the chance to learn that the older students aren’t so scary and are truly there to help the Grade 9s. It was definitely a positive bridge into highschool because the students got a feel of what a high school class is like. This hopefully made them less nervous in the high school environment. Overall it was a successful day and the MSS students were happy to help make the future Grade 9s more comfortable in high school.”
Students’ Council is still rewarding students who sold magazines to help the Magazine Drive. On June 1 there will be a half day movie for anyone who sold a magazine. As an added bonus there will be a sundae bar for students to snack on during the movie.
The Students’ Council Spring Formal took place on Friday, May 25. The masquerade themed dance was DJ’d by Blake Debassige, who spent the evening playing music from rock to country to help the Mustangs have fun. There was a photo area set up for groups and couples to take selfies. The dance was well organized, beautifully decorated, and had good attendance. The heat of spring won’t stop the Mustangs from making some heat on the dance floor.
Between participating in all of the school-wide activities and prepping for culminating assignments, many of the Mustangs can be seen at lunch playing Ultimate Frisbee, basketball, and walking around the track, enjoying the beautiful weather.
‘Til next time, stay golden, Mustangs.
