OVMS Counselors Encourage Students and Staff to Find Gratitude During Difficult Times
OVMS Counselors Encourage Students to Find Gratitude During Difficult Times During “Thankful Thursday” Exercises
Orchard Valley Middle School counselors Dan Jedwabny, Pauline Kolodzey and Natalie Marakowski recognize that difficult times and time away from the routine and connections of school and friends can be challenging for students and staff alike. To combat some of this anxiety and uncertainty, and in celebration of “Thankful Thursday,” the group shared out several videos to students and staff highlighting the importance of having a grateful heart. They also circulated a survey asking students and staff to list three things that they are thankful for.
“We are all facing some new challenges, and in challenging times it can be very helpful to think about things that you are thankful for,” OVMS principal Colleen Cancila said. “Our school counselors are reminding us that recognizing the things we are thankful for is also called Gratitude, and Gratitude takes practice. Being grateful for the things that we have and experience can really change the way we think, and lead to more appreciation and happiness. We hope these videos are helpful and that the form gives both students and staff an opportunity to really reflect on the positive parts of their lives while we are apart.”
Responses to the thankfulness survey will be gathered by the counselors and used to create a word cloud that will be shaped in a Panther Paw design and displayed on the OVMS page of the District website.
The videos that the OVMS counselors shared are listed below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA5Qpt1JRE4