On April 20, 2026, the 91pro视频 (HCDSB), in partnership with Halton Region, proudly hosted its first-ever聽Healthy Active Schools Student Conference, welcoming more than 200 Grade 7 and 8 students and their teachers from elementary schools across the board.
Throughout the day, students聽participated聽in a variety of engaging and meaningful learning experiences聽that聽focused on healthy living and informed decision-making, closely aligned with the expectations of the聽Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum. Sessions invited students to explore wellness through a holistic lens, integrating Catholic faith perspectives with learning about mental health and well-being, mindfulness, nutrition, and physical activity.聽One student reflected on the experience, sharing that it was 鈥渞eally important learning about online safety,鈥� highlighting the relevance of the sessions to their everyday lives.
Interactive workshops also highlighted Indigenous teachings about living in balance through art, encouraged healthy choices around screen time and social media use, and supported students in learning how to respond positively when mistakes happen. These rich learning opportunities empowered students to reflect, connect, and build practical skills they can carry into their daily lives.
鈥淭he idea for this day聽developed聽from聽a review of our Student Achievement Planning data and聽the HCDSB聽MYSP plan,” said conference聽coordinators, Jaclyn Priest-Brown and Vanessa Hurley. “We built聽a day聽focused on unplugging and聽making聽connections聽that would give our intermediate students a variety of聽practical learning聽tools and聽strategies聽they could apply聽inside and outside of the classroom.鈥澛犅�
Feedback from both students and educators was overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the relevance of the sessions and the inspiring atmosphere of the conference. As one student simply put it, 鈥淚t was a great day, and I鈥檇 recommend this conference to everyone!鈥�
The success of this inaugural event underscores HCDSB鈥檚 ongoing commitment to nurturing healthy, active, and faith-filled learning communities.
