Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life, is the foundation for all abundance – Eckhart Tolle
The concept of gratitude, of giving thanks and highlighting the good in our lives, is paramount particularly in these times of COVID-19. This appreciation for life reinforces how special, beautiful, and blessed our lives are, even when we are faced with challenging and overwhelming situations. St John’s Wall of Gratitude has been helping students to cultivate an attitude of gratefulness and resilience; providing a way for them to connect and to keep moving forward despite the individual challenges they may face.
In line with the College’s Faith Mission and Wellbeing Enterprise, the Wall of Gratitude was instigated by the students of Braithwaite as a way to show and build on their gratitude. Students were given an assortment of cut out leaves and encouraged to jot down words and phrases that exemplified their feelings of gratitude. The leaves were then arranged on corkboards and put on display in each of the six Braithwaite homegroups on the Secondary campus to reinforce an attitude of gratefulness amongst the students each and every day.
Initially trialled within Braithwaite, this student-led wellbeing project has proven to be very successful amongst the students and staff, and will now look to be expanded further across the College. Research highlights that positive emotions like gratitude and appreciation are synonymous with a person’s health and wellbeing and that this positive mindset has a flow-on effect on our education and learning.
Mrs Christina Kokkinis
Secondary Teacher | Acting Head of Braithwaite
