What a week, Mustangs! Not that anyone is counting down the days, but there are just over six weeks left of school! Let’s see what students are getting up to with the summer just around the corner.
On Monday, May 5, MSS students honoured Red Dress Day, which is also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People. Each day, visitors of MSS are greeted at the door with a poster of girls in red dresses that says, “No more stolen sisters.” On Monday, visitors in schools across Canada saw students wearing red to school, standing in solidarity with the friends, families and communities who have been impacted by violence against Indigenous women and two spirit people.
Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year’s theme was “Being YOU-nique: Unmasking Mental Health.” In an announcement on Monday morning it was explained what “masking” is and how it relates to mental health at MSS: “Masking is hiding or suppressing something about ourselves from others. It’s a coping mechanism used to stay safe, hide in plain sight or “fit in”, and we may even do it without being aware of it. Masking can be a helpful tool in our day-to-day lives – it can help people navigate social situations, feel safe, and maintain personal boundaries and privacy. We don’t always want to share everything about ourselves with everyone we interact with, and masking lets us decide who gets to see which parts of us. While helpful, we also want people in our school to feel free to be themselves, so this week, let’s think about how to create a school culture that supports self-expression and inclusivity so we can unmask mental health. We all have mental health and we want to be able to talk about it. By unmasking mental health, we can learn to accept ourselves as whole people, with mental, physical and emotional health.”
Tuesday, May 6 MSS welcomed Grade 8s from across the Island for Shadow Day. Current MSS students met the incoming Grade 9s and showed them what it is like to be a high school student. After a brief presentation in the gym, the grade eights “shadowed” their assigned MSS student to their second-period class. Later, students were set free for lunch, where they could navigate the cafeteria and explore the school. Before they departed, incoming students received a presentation where they were introduced to staff and heard from a couple students about their experiences.
The week wrapped up with the carnival-themed Spring Formal on Friday, May 9. The cafeteria was turned into a carnival-themed dance floor with games, music, and snacks. Students came dressed to impress to enjoy the end of a busy week!
With year-end events like the Spring Formal, MSS’s Prom Project is in full swing. The Prom Project helps students find formalwear, like dresses, suits, shoes, and accessories, for free. Whether you needed something for the Spring Formal or are planning ahead for Prom on June 13th, the Prom Project is here to help. Community members can drop in and donate their old formal clothes for current students to use!
With prom and graduation just a month away, the year-end excitement is building! Stay tuned for more updates as we head into the final stretch of the school year.
Until next time, go, Mustangs, go!
