Wellness and Activity Week

Wellness and Activity Week took place in CBS from April 20 to 24th 2015. A range of activities were arranged to promote the value of physical activity and to raise awareness around factors which promote mental health. Among activities organised by the P.E department were; a whole school fun run in Castle Park, an inter-class challenge on Monday afternoon, a first year rounders tournament and a presentation from Irish Triple Crown winner Alison Miller. 

Other talks and workshops which took place during the week included:
  • Why not me?  ( Laurence ‘Puff’ Summers, American basketball coach)
  • The benefits of Mindfulness (Margaret Bowen, School Counsellor)
  • Avoidance of substance mis-use (Paul Bolger, Ossory Youth)

The theme of 5 a Day for Mental Health was threaded through the week. Extensive studies have shown that the following factors can help to sustain and strengthen mental wellness:
  1. Connect. Daily interaction with friends and family supports our sense of wellbeing and happiness. Talking with others should be a daily event.
  2. Be Active. Exercise releases endorphins in our brain which make us feel good. Exercise doesn’t have to mean competitive sport. It can be any activity which we enjoy and can incorporate into our day.
  3. Mindfulness. Taking a few moments to notice what is going on within us and around us can do wonders for our mental health. Even a brief pause where we are fully in the present moment can bring perspective to mind and calmness to the body.
  4. Stay Learning. This does not have to mean ‘book’ or even ‘school’ learning. Playing a musical instrument or improving our skill in a sport helps to keep us curious and engaged. Anything which challenges us to stretch our abilities is good for mental wellness.
  5. Give. Doing good is good for us. Helping others helps ourselves and leads to a compassionate society. Giving can range from giving a compliment to holding a door open or to commitments such as volunteering time or giving to charity.
To help underline the theme of 5 a Day for Mental Health all students were given a bookmark with each of the key words outlined and illustrated by Leaving Cert students Colin Carthy and Michael Healy.
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Rounders
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Soccer Blitz
1st and 2nd years took part in a rounders and soccer tournament as part of active and positive mental health week. 1 Brendan won the rounders tournament for first years and 2 David won the soccer blitz. Well done to all students and a particular thanks to the students who helped with running of both activities.

Alison Miller, met with nine students from first, second, transition and fifth year to  mentor them in sky sports "living for sport" initiative on Tuesday. After some team building tasks with the group she gave an excellent talk to second and fifth years. The "living for sport" team Colm Dunne, Peter O Brien, Josh Delahanty, Darragh Galway, James Dwyer, Ethan Reade, Killian O Boyle, Nathan Cullen and Ben Tynan contributed hugely to the organisation and successful running of events during active and mental health week. The group will now begin to plan the organisation and running of sports day.
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Rounders Competition

CBS Fun Run 2015
The school community of CBS Kilkenny had another fantastic day out on April 23rd 2015, in Castle Park for our annual Fun Run, as part of Mental Health and Wellbeing Week. This was the culmination of a week of activities within the school which focus on the importance of our mental health. We were delighted to have such a beautiful afternoon down among the cherry blossom.

Enjoy the photos.
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The annual CBS Kilkenny Fun Run will take place in Castle Park on Thursday 23rd April. All students are asked to fill a sponsorship card for €10. The funds raised are used to further develop the sports field. As always, CBS students are not found wanting and are terrific supporters of the school!