For the second consecutive school year, the White Pines Collegiate Wellness Committee – consisting of staff and students – is running its Wellness In Action program.
The program is designed to build friendships and boost physical and mental wellness among students.
Every month, students – joined by staff – are encouraged to participate in a wellness initiative.
In October, the Wellness Committee encouraged the student body to drink the equivalent of 10 bathtubs of water to raise awareness of the importance of hydration for physical and mental health.
Keeping track of their water consumption, White Pines students surpassed that goal and drank the equivalent of 18 bathtubs of water.
“We started the committee and program out of a need that we saw (in students). There are some mental health needs, some emotional needs, some physical needs aside from academics,” said Alysia Mitchell, White Pines teacher.
“We wanted to create opportunities for both students and staff to prioritize their own well-being in a supportive environment,” added fellow teacher Elysia Lethbridge.
Lilly Cochrane and Cameron Ciotti are Grade 12 students who are enthusiastic role models for the school’s student body and are eagerly taking part in the Wellness In Action program.
“I think there’s some anxiety with everyone, including teachers, and for students that anxiety comes with writing tests or in a social way,” Cochrane told SooToday.
“There’s a lot of at-home stuff that affects people within the school with their mental health. There’s depression in some and the motivation factor for sure is down there for a few people. I know people who struggle with a lot of things, but we’re trying to help them get better with this wellness program. We want them to feel more included (through Wellness In Action activities) and get that motivation going.”
Ciotti agrees.
“It's about trying to fit in without conforming to a social norm. You can bring your authentic self into all these wellness activities that we have. We're very inclusive of who's coming into our activities and what we can do to assist them for anything that is bothering them,” Ciotti said.
Girls Who Lift is the Wellness In Action program’s November initiative.
“We really wanted it to be targeted to our female students,” Mitchell said.
“They're doing some basic strength training, some weightlifting, getting comfortable with gym equipment and building their confidence in the gym each Wednesday. A lot of them are students who would not typically go into a gym setting so with our guidance they're actually really enjoying it.”
All students are encouraged to take part in a five–minute body break each Friday in November.
Take Five can include stretching, meditation, yoga or tai chi.
December, being the Christmas season, will see the Wellness In Action program emphasize acts of kindness within the student body.
Teachers Mitchell and Lethbridge admire students like Cochrane and Ciotti for the role they play in the Wellness In Action program.
“I think they're natural leaders because they're very kind individuals. Students naturally connect to them because they are non-judgmental, they're involved, they're invested. They're saying hello to people in the hallways, not just people within their own grade level, but our entire school,” Mitchell said.
“Lilly and Cameron are very, very positive people and I think that they attract people who crave that positivity,” Lethbridge added.
Cochrane and Ciotti have excelled academically and athletically at White Pines.
Ciotti also served as an Algoma District School Board student trustee in the 2024–2025 school year.
Cochrane has danced competitively with Studio Dance Arts and expressed her interest in becoming a professional dancer.
Ciotti has applied to several universities and is interested in becoming a teacher.
“My advice when it comes to wellness is to try new things. That will change your mindset. If you want to try a sport that will help your development later in life or if you want to join a club, it'll build your social circle and help with your development,” Ciotti said.
Youth should never be hard on themselves, Cochrane said.
“Whether you get a bad grade or someone is mad at you, it's not always that deep. It's just life. You're going to make mistakes. Sometimes everything doesn't go as planned. You’ve just got to keep going with the flow and at the end of the day everything will work itself out,” Cochrane added.
The Wellness In Action program is unique to White Pines and was recognized with a Sault Ste. Marie Police Service community award in May.