Education Week and Mental Health Week 2021, a Message from Board Chair Kelly Whalen

  Posted: May 4, 2021

May 3 – 7, 2021 is Education Week and Mental Health Week at HFCRD and across Alberta! This year’s Education Week theme is Learning is a Journey. Wow, what a journey this year has been! With this year’s COVID-19 pandemic, I think we can all say we have been on a tremendous journey, and I commend all staff, students and families for showing great resilience this year. Although we are in a pandemic, our communities have come together like never before. Education Week gives us all an opportunity to reflect on all we have been through together in the past year, and this year especially we must celebrate the many ways that we have overcome obstacles. 

Mental health is always an important aspect of our lives, and this past year has highlighted its importance more than ever. This year’s Mental Health Week theme is #GetReal which encourages us all to ‘name it, don’t numb it.’ Here’s some fantastic advice from the Canadian Mental Health Association: “This Mental Health Week, let’s name, express and deal with our emotions— even the uncomfortable ones. Because heavy feelings lighten when you put them into words. Embrace all of your emotions—whether they feel good or challenging or difficult. It’s all part of being human.”

I speak on behalf of all HFCRD Trustees when I say that we are very proud of the work done by HFCRD staff. When this pandemic came swiftly and the world felt uncertain, our staff reacted with ease and grace, and have adapted quickly when needed. Although I’m sure there were many growing pains, we are proud of how quickly staff learned the new skills they needed in order to provide the best education possible in these ever-changing circumstances.

I wish you all a wonderful week ahead. God bless!

Kelly Whalen,
Board Chair