Living the healthy school standards

The Medicine Hat Public School Division (MHPSD) has applied the Comprehensive School Health (CSH) approach for years. Since 2018, all 17 schools in the division have had a CSH team working on health and wellness initiatives. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the energy behind health and wellness-focused work slowed down, many of the CSH teams were on pause. Over time, focusing in on the  Canadian Healthy School Standards and eight essential conditions (shown in bold, also known as implementation standards) the division has built up their momentum and a renewed focus on wellness back into its schools.

After the height of COVID-19 restrictions, one of the first things MHPSD did was reassemble its CSH teams across all of their schools. Each school chose two dedicated health champions to engage staff, students and the broader school community.  One team focused on school staff well-being and the other, on student well-being.

The CSH teams are intentionally diverse so they can reflect and support the unique needs of each school community. They usually include a few key roles—like a Mental Health Capacity Building Project team member, a family school liaison worker, an educational assistant, a school administrator or their delegate, and, whenever possible, a student.

Even though CSH had been MHPSD’s framework for several years, many staff weren’t totally sure what it meant to be a “health champion” and worried it might just add more work to their plates. To help clear things up, the Superintendent, the MHPSD Health and Wellness Manager, and the Primary Care Alberta (PCA) Health Promotion Facilitator (HPF) brought the CSH teams together for a reflection meeting so everyone could talk it through. This was an opportunity for teams to learn more about how CSH is connected to the Healthy School Standards, discuss how they were doing, and figure out what could be improved. For each standard, schools determined if they were beginning, developing, accomplishing, or mastering that standard.

Going forward, the division decided to bring together all CSH teams twice a year. These connections support them through professional learning, swapping ideas and success stories, and carving out time to plan for the year ahead. The fall gathering focuses on networking, looking at school-specific data, and action planning. The spring session offers a chance to reflect on progress, celebrate, and share successes across the division.

When the CSH teams came back together, they wanted to make sure they were using quality evidence to understand what they were doing well and where they could grow. With help from the PCA HPF and Ever Active, an outcome journal was developed to align with the Healthy School Standards and the Healthier Together 5-step process. This tool helped schools look closely at their current practices, recognize their strengths, and spot any gaps. By combining school‑specific data with actions tailored to each school, teams had the school‑specific autonomy they needed to respond in ways that fit the strengths, needs, and culture of their own school community.                                                                                                                             

One key theme that emerged across many schools was a gap in students as change makers. This was not surprising, as student leadership opportunities in wellness had been greatly reduced during the pandemic.

In response, and with support from community partners like Ever Active and Jumpstart, and the division, the PCA HPF revitalized the Student Wellness Leadership Conference. This annual event brings together students in grades 4–9 to learn, collaborate, and build action plans to support wellness initiatives within their own school communities. It amplifies student voice as a critical driver of this work and fosters student leadership.

In 2025, to further incorporate student voice, 31 students from Grades 9–12 came together for an honest, open-minded conversation about what school really feels like-the good stuff, tough stuff and all their ideas of how to make it even better. Students reported positive friendships, belonging, and knowing where to get help. Areas for growth were around stress and balance, pointing to heavy workloads and deadlines causing students to feel increased pressure. Each student team brought their ideas back to their own school communities and implemented the initiatives tailored to their wellness goals.

Having higher-level support from school leaders made a huge difference in getting things moving again. The Superintendent strongly believes that wellness matters, making it one of the universal goals in their 2022-26 Education Plan. Wellness is also brought to the forefront in their Culture of Wellness Framework. Support showed up in practical ways, too, like providing sub-release time for health champions and encouraging schools to participate in the Healthy Schools Recognition Program.

Across the 2025-2026 school year, MHPSD created a division wide Comprehensive School Health Steering Committee. The committee’s role is to support CSH teams, particularly focused on deciding how to use limited funding for substitute teachers and resources that help bring school teams together. Because this committee is new, it continues to take shape. Members are continuing to figure out roles, priorities, and the best ways to support and strengthen wellness work across the division.

With continued support from the division and school administrative leadership, MHPSD is gathering feedback from the whole school community including teachers, families, and students. They are using the Our School Survey and aim to use the data this coming fall for planning.

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• Amplify student voice
• Support healthy relationships