Students are taking big strides toward mental wellness and are also making a difference for young people dealing with mental illness. Yoga, nutrition advice, fitness and self defense classes and group discussions are being offered to students this year as a proactive approach to mental health. They are also reaching out to make a difference in their community with their Iron Hawk Campaign. It's a student-led initiative to support the year-long effort to reduce the stigma of mental illness and support local mental health agencies. The highlight of Harrow's plan is the Iron Hawk Duathlon, a running and cycling race on Saturday. All the proceeds raised from the event will be contributed to the We Care for Kids campaign to build a new Family Learning Place, the area's only mental health ICU for children. If the Hawks raise $10 thousand or more, a room in the new building will be named in their honour.

Chair Hall outlined two priorities he has set for the year ahead: Catholicity and student achievement and engagement. In his Inaugural Address, Chair Hall said the schools are doing considerable work in the area of Catholic faith formation. But he said we can look at that with fresh eyes. "What's the next step, how do we take this to the next level? " he asked. "How can our faith formation be more than a priority and become a power: a power alive in our schools, a power that shapes and drives every aspect of our mission as a Board and is present in every pillar of our work?"

Chair Hall is proposing that Trustees and administration sit down with Student Councils and Parliaments from the secondary schools and leaders in their school communities. "We listen to parent groups, to school council groups, but we as a Board have never sat down and listened to student groups," he said. "Listening to students, hearing what they have to say, involving them, making them feel a part of something greater, that what they have to say matters, that they can make a difference and contribute in a meaningful way. "

To highlight student achievement, the Chair "skyped" live with Central graduate Julian, who is currently on an internship at the United Nations in New York, serving with the diplomatic mission of the Vatican. He called it a unique opportunity to engage one of our graduates.