Students from École Ste. Marguerite Bourgeoys and Pope John Paul II had a blast mingling in the halls of SMB during Faith Play Day for Catholic Education Week. The school hosted the event to encourage a sense of camaraderie between the two school communities. "Our vision for the play day was to bring the two schools together where originally there was a bit of a separation," said educational assistant at SMB Heidi Martin. "We wanted them to get to know each other better. It's really about extending our understanding towards each other. We're trying to open the doors a little wider and create one big Catholic board community." The children were divided up into teams that mixed the two schools together. Classrooms at SMB were assigned a short game and students traveled to the different classrooms throughout the day to take part in the games. "We've done running and putting a Frisbee into a bucket-relay, cup stacking, throwing marshmallows in a bucket and trying to hold a dictionary. It's fun meeting new people," said Grade 4 SMB student Parker Francis. Martin said the two schools have teamed up for the Faith Play Day during Catholic Education Week for a few years now. "One of the big points we found in the past was that the kids would flow through the grades and not connect. By the time they're older their groups are already set. But we've been doing this for a few years now and we've found we're starting to bridge that gap. It's made a big difference," she said. SMB also took the time to focus on mental health throughout the week as schools look to be proactive in helping students cope with mental health issues. They also held numerous other events for Catholic Education Week including a special prayer service, water experiments, a Festival of the Arts Hi-Lites Show, a performance from their own youth choir and the opening of a special art exhibit entitled The Many faces of Mental Illness.