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Project smile targets stress at early age

Stress can happen to anyone at any age. School-age children aren’t immune. However, a teacher at St.
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St. Ignatius student Melora Schraml, 16, helps St. Margaret School Grade 6 student Paige Spanninga build a dream catcher on Thursday during Project Smile. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)

Stress can happen to anyone at any age.

School-age children aren’t immune.

However, a teacher at St. Ignatius High School has developed Project Smile, a program that brings teenage students together with youngsters in grades 4,5 and 6 to ensure they know where to turn when things turn bleak.

Sabrina Peterson, an anthropology teacher at St. Ignatius, said heading into the day-long, activity-filled event, her students don’t necessarily realize the impact they’re having on the elementary school students.

“And they don’t realize the impact it has on themselves,” Peterson said. “Always, the next day when we have our follow-up we’re all in tears and we’re talking about it and we’re sharing and it’s really awesome what they get out of it, because they know they’ve impacted these kids’ lives and they know they’ve all learned something as well.”

Stress can come from anywhere at any time.

It could be the looming deadline of a homework project, parents fighting at home, an illness or the age-old problem of bullying.

The younger the student, the less likely they’re going to know what they’re dealing with. Luckily, Peterson said, they are honest and innocent enough to share.

“The things they share, it’s just so sweet to listen to them. And just how my students respond to them, it’s just so impressive,” Peterson said.

Alexa Bohemir took part last year when she was in Grade 11 and quickly volunteered once again, adding she’s not sure the issue of stress wasn’t always properly addressed with students at a young enough age.

“They have these coping mechanisms and they have all these different strategies to learn about things that we were never really taught before,” the 17-year-old said.

Last year’s program was an eye-opener, she added.

“I think what I leaned last year was what kids are stressed about. I probably thought, they’re young, what are they stressed about? Having a good grasp on that from last year, I can have different conversations with them this year,” Bohemir said.

Stations included Squeeze Away, with stress balls, Just Dance, Get Physical, Mindfulness Activities, ClipCorn, featuring motivational videos and popcorn and Box of Mixed Emotions.

Ten-year-old Caleb Atkinson called it a fun day filled with sports and dance. But he also learned a thing or two.

“We’re learning coping strategies and about stress,” he said, adding school can be tough. “It’s pretty bad, when you get into a fight and you’re like, what do I do?” he said.

Classmate Devin Edwards said he learned it’s easy to get stressed out, but even easier to make the stress disappear.

Like Caleb, he recognizes stress does happen, even at 10.

“Sometimes I get bullied by my friends and I never know what to do.”

Project Smile has provided some of the answers.

“If people are getting bullied, they’ll know how to get help.”

 



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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