The school is extremely happy with the Inspiration Award. “It’s fantastic, I was jumping up and down in the hallway,” says Anita Vossen, a Care & Well-being teacher. Together with her colleague Lieke Sitaniapessy, Anita initiated the extra attention for mental well-being: “We notice that students need other things besides support with learning,” says Lieke. “That is why, during the Care & Well-being lessons, we spend two hours a week on mindfulness and positive psychology. A separate room has been made available for this at the school. The effects are positive. Anita: “We notice that students have more peace of mind. They enjoy having a moment of calm between lessons. Some students even come here after school.” The school will use the prize money that comes with the Inspiration Award to give more attention to personal development.
Performance pressure
The Golden Tip from Venlo was selected from 25 submissions of Golden Tips. Everyone could vote for the most inspiring idea, and more than 2,000 people took advantage of that opportunity. The top five tips were then presented to a student jury, which selected the top three. Finally, the top three were assessed by a professional jury. Both the professional jury and the student jury consider this the most inspiring and innovative Golden Tip for other schools. Olivier (13), a member of the student jury, recognizes that many young people suffer from stress and performance pressure. He also thinks that mindfulness at school would help him and, in turn, others.
Original and daring
The professional jury said in its jury report: ‘Stress among young people is becoming increasingly common, and this is a very appealing and inspiring way to address it. Especially among teenagers. It shows that every teenager can benefit from this, and also helps yoga and mindfulness shed their somewhat soft image. In addition, this initiative fits well with the new movement of positive health. It is original and daring to start working on this in lessons. Research also shows that mindfulness appears to contribute to positive emotional development, greater calm and improved concentration. It also provides a foundation for respect and well-being in the classroom.’
In addition to the title ‘winner of the Healthy School Inspiration Award 2019’, the school will receive €1,000 to further develop the Golden Tip.
In second place was Udens College, VMBO sector (pre-vocational secondary education) from Uden, with a project focused on the smart use of smartphones. In third place was primary school Triangel from Linne with the tip ‘You learn to eat healthily along the way, from seed to plate!’.
Healthy School Day
Healthy School Day took place on Thursday, 31 October. More than 50 interested participants from primary and secondary education came together to be inspired by the Healthy School programme. After a joint start in Utrecht, two buses departed for four Healthy Schools (primary and secondary education) in Delft and Almere for an inspiring look behind the scenes. For a brief impression, click here.