(December 13, 2016) The Kenora Catholic District School Board (KCDSB) is very proud to announce that it was the community winner of the Northwestern Health Unit's 4th Annual Workplace Wellness Challenge. The goal of the challenge was to encourage workplaces in Kenora and Rainy River Districts to make employee health and well-being a priority.
Judy Underwood, Health Educator from the Northwestern Health Unit presented a plaque to the KCDSB team today. "This is the biggest challenge we've ever had with almost 90 workplaces and over 700 employees across the region participating," said Underwood. "This year we noticed a shift with schools embracing the challenge. There was an increase in participation from staff and teachers."
Sue Devlin, Mental Health Lead for the KCDSB led the challenge for the board. Jaqueline Lacroix, Vice Principal from École Ste-Marguerite Bourgeoys and Leanne Chisholm, Vice Principal from Pope John Paul II School were team leaders for their locations.
Devlin talks about why it was important for the board to participate. "This challenge is important because we can't have healthy schools without healthy teachers and staff. This year's challenge appealed to us because it had a holistic approach that included not only healthy eating and exercising but also mental health, sleep and reduced screen time. Screen-free nights are an amazing way for us to reconnect as a family."
This is the 4th Annual Workplace Wellness challenge for the Northwestern Healthy Unit. The challenge ran from October 3, 2016 to October 28, 2016.