Girl Repays Kindness with Long Locks

Kaitlyn Harvie is a brave young survivor of dysautonomia who has decided to give back to the organization that helped her when she was in need.

Kaitlyn, only 11 years old, wanted more than anything to see the Royal Winnipeg Ballet when she was sick, and in August, 2008, Westman Dreams for Kids made that happen for her. Now, nearly two years later, she has decided to raise money for Westman Dreams for Kids while donating something very personal to cancer patients; her long locks of hair.

“I’m getting it cut all the way up to my shoulders.”

Kaitlyn has been growing her hair for a while now, and it is nearly down below her waist. Her mother, Michelle Harvie, agreed that donating it at the Pantages 25^th Anniversary BBQ, on May 8^th, would be a great opportunity to also collect pledges and donations for Westman Dreams for Kids.

“We decided to try and give back to (Westman) Dreams for Kids. They were so kind to us, we want to make sure they can keep doing what they are doing, keep helping other kids,” said Harvie.

Dysautonomia is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, the hardwiring of the body to control below-conscious functions, such as heart beat and digestion. Some symptoms include heart problems, excessive fatigue, and even fainting and seizures. “It sucked,” said Kaitlyn, “I had to miss a full week of school.”

“You ended up missing a lot more than one week,” chuckled Michelle.

Kaitlyn and her mother, Michelle, encourage more people to donate to the Westman Dreams for Kids Organization, with hopes that the next time a child is in need of a little cheering up, they are able to help. For more information on how to donate, call Westman Dreams for Kids at 729-8898.

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RHA Client Wellness Day

The Brandon RHA recently put on a Client Wellness Information Day at Central United Church to help raise awareness and understanding

of mental health disorders, and Tracy Young,

from the Mental Health Promotion Clinic, was there to see that everything went smoothly.

“The RHA plans this event specifically for mental health patients, many of whom don’t want to seek out this information, or don’t know where to find it.”

The Client Wellness Information Day played host to dozens of interactive displays with information on everything from nutrition to schizophrenia put on by organizations around the

city, included newer organizations such as the DRA.

“DRA stands to Dual Recovery Anonymous,” said Darren Lotey, the representative at the display, “we are a group that holds weekly support meetings for people suffering from both a mental illness and an addiction problem.” Meetings take place Wednesday nights at 20 – 7^th Street Health Access Centre at 6:45pm.

“We believe that our support group will help people struggling with a mental health issue and addictions by offering a feeling of community, a hope for the future, and by hopefully helping people make new supportive friends.”

The RHA also put on a comedy hour in the afternoon featuring local comedians. “The comedy hour is something we think will go over really well, it keeps things interactive and fun for everyone involved,” said Young.

For more information about mental health issues, call the Mental Health Promotion Clinic at 570-8340.

Barbara Miller, Outstanding School Leader

Principal Barbara Miller of Alexander School recently was presenting with the Outstanding School Leader Award for her excellent integration of the innovative ‘Learning with the Arts’ program.

Education Minister Nancy Allan made the presentation on April 15 as part of Education Week 2010.

Miller’s efforts have boosted enrolment by over 20 students in the last year alone, and she says the program has helped to expand student minds and talents.

Simply being nominated for the award was a treat for Miller. “It really sent me a strong message that the community is supporting the ideas we’ve put in place here, and I think it really shows that the parents and students believe that ‘Learning with the Arts’ is really helping the kids at the school.”

The ‘Learning with the Arts’ program is a Manitoba curriculum-based approach meant to

address the many different ways that kids learn by integrating artistic outcomes ranging from dance, drama, and music all the way to painting, arts and crafts, and technology-based art. The students learn the lessons in a hands-on way, and show off what they have learned through creative expression.

Miller says that this helps students with all kinds of learning abilities. “It really helps the more creative and work-oriented students by not imposing any sort of limit on the work they can put into a project,” said Miller, “as well as helping the kids who have a harder paying attention by being hands on and constantly changing.”

Shannon Kohut, a French teacher at Alexander School, commented on the positive impact of the program while her students worked on a plasticine project.

“Since we have moved to an arts infused school, students have demonstrated growth in areas such as problem solving, critical thinking, cooperation, collaboration, and engagement. In my room, I have tried to build a learning environment where art is more than decoration, but rather a venue for sharing information and learning.”

To keep the projects varied, the school also brings in ‘in-house’ artists; real-life artists who give lessons to the students about new styles of creative expression.
“We have different professional artists coming in, usually for about a month at a time, and they teach our students and staff the new techniques that the teachers then expand upon and work with after the artist has left.”

The school also focuses heavily on recognizing every student’s work, putting much of the completed artwork on display in the halls throughout the school with art from every student helping to decorate the building and bring the town some extra colour.

Some of the students’ artwork may be found on the school’s website at http://www.brandonsd.mb.ca/alexander/ .

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