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Midale Central School shows support for inclusion

Students at Midale Central School learned more about the challenges facing their peers during the second annual Inclusion Awareness Day on Tuesday. They spent the day listening to speakers and attending workshops at the school.

Students at Midale Central School learned more about the challenges facing their peers during the second annual Inclusion Awareness Day on Tuesday.

They spent the day listening to speakers and attending workshops at the school.

The day began with students assembling in the gym, and they watched Brooks Gibbs’ Global School Assembly video. Gibbs is a well-known speaker with schools when it comes to social skills.

“He empowers students to grow in their emotional resilience, anger management and social skills,” said Chantal Rasmuson, an employment consultant at the school. “He says that bullying is a power imbalance, so he explains that the way we fix this power imbalance is to empower the victims.”

The next speaker was Carrie-Anne Dutkiwch, a student services consultant for the South East Cornerstone Public School Division, who discussed inclusion and had the students participate in an activity about barriers they all face and the strengths and abilities they possess.

Carter Brown, a former Estevan resident now residing in Milestone who has made national headlines for his involvement with the Shriners’ Hospital, made a presentation regarding his battles with osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease.

“He’s an amazing little man, so he told everybody about his disease, and the struggles he’s faced throughout his life so far, and how he has overcome so many of the obstacles that have been in his way,” said Rasmuson.

In the afternoon, all students from Grades 1-12 cycled through different stations. The elementary school students learned more about hearing impairment and sign language. They also learned about autism from Katie Emde, a Midale area resident who has become an advocate for children with autism because her son Avery has been diagnosed with it.

“It was a great opportunity for the kids to have a great open discussion, and they were able to ask questions, and they were able to try out some of the sensory activities,” said Rasmuson.

Another area taught them about vision impairment through simulations. They also learned more about learning and intellectual disabilities.

High school students heard a speech from Const. Brian Holmes with the Weyburn-Radville RCMP detachment, who spoke of the dangers of drug use and addiction.

“It was a great opportunity to have him come in, especially now that recreational marijuana is legal, so we thought it was a really important topic to bring him in. It was great because for the students, it was safe for them to discuss it openly and ask questions and get the appropriate information that they needed.”

Tasha Collins from Canadian Mental Health made a presentation on mental health and mental illness. Rasmuson was impressed with how much the students knew, which led to great questions and discussions.

The final station focused on learning disabilities through an online session in which students heard from other young people about disabilities, and then they participated in simulations. She believes it opens discussion among students about disabilities and why certain students need extra help.

The stations allowed students to learn about disabilities and issues, and what it might be like.

“Inclusion is so important, not only in schools, but in life, and I think our Inclusion Awareness Day is a great way to promote the importance of inclusion, and it provides an empathetic learning experience for all of our students,” she said.