COODANUP College has won the 2019 Mentally Healthy Education Award as part of the WA Mental Health Awards.
The college runs several SAER (Students At Educational Risk) programs, including yoga, basketball, religion, a build a bike program and a boxing program.
Coodanup College student services manager and head of arts Jane Bradbrook-Mann said the programs were designed to build the students’ self-|esteem and self-worth while learning.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOWEach program runs for a term and students rotate through different programs to receive the benefits of each.
Ms Bradbrook-Mann said the programs had improved attendance and motivated the students to stay at school.
Alongside these programs, the school puts an emphasis on mental health awareness days such as No Way Bullying Day, Say No to Violence Day and Are U OK Day.
“It brings together the school, it normalises mental health stigma and having those conversations and looking after a mate,” Ms Bradbrook-Mann said.
For last year’s Are U OK Day the school put together a local celebrity montage, asking students if they were OK to normalise mental health discussion.
Ms Bradbrook-Mann said the school was glad they were seeing so many benefits from their efforts.
“We are proud of what we do,” she said.
“It’s just sort of nice to get a bit of wider recognition and to think we are actually doing some things well.”