THIS year's Blackboard Awards will recognise the 'beacons of hope' in our schools which have experienced immeasurable strain as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Teachers and pupils alike have grappled with the academic impact of lost classroom time for the past two years.
The pandemic has also had a drastic impact on the mental health and wellbeing of our school communities. And it is for his tireless efforts in this arena that All Saints College teacher, Colin Toal, is in the running to be named as one of our 'beacons of hope' at the Blackboard Awards gala on 4 March.
Based in the heart of West Belfast, All Saints College draws its pupils from some of the North's most socially disadvantaged communities, which are known to be more profoundly affected by the negative affects of lockdown.
At the height of the pandemic in March 2021, Colin stepped forward with an idea to help get teachers, and by extension their pupils, "focused again".
"I came up with this idea of Mind Your Mind March, which was a four week programme that I created based on the aspects of mental health," he explained.
The programme placed a weekly focus on ways to promote good mental health amongst staff, including proper nutrition and exercise, the importance of digital detox, and the development of new skills such a languages and cooking.
Amongst the initiatives, 'Mind Your Mind March' saw staff create a new cookbook and take part in a photo competition, before rounding the month off with a school quiz.
Building on the success of the programme, the school launched its 'No Child Left Behind' initiative, with Colin putting out the call for staff to become "Mental Health and Wellbeing Champions".
As part of the initiative, staff agreed to run 100 miles and raised an incredible £4,000 which will go to support pupil's mental health.
"We've appointed mental health and wellbeing champions for every year group. They're bringing people in and doing bits of training on pupils' mental health and wellbeing, bringing them out places, and that money is there for them and we'll be able to run loads of extra-curricular clubs.
"I think there's a lot of focus on lost learning in the classroom, but I think a lot of people neglect the fact that these kids have lost a lot of other important aspects of their lives – the holistic aspect."
Monthly mental health challenges are now the order of the day for the school, with many members of staff committing to covering 800 miles of their own steam for the month of January.
Colin said that mental health and wellbeing is now a "school development priority".
"Pupil and staff wellbeing is massive in our school," he said. "It goes hand in hand with learning. To get performance outcomes from our pupils we need them to be happy. To make them happy we need to put strategies in place to help them. But it also goes back to the teacher; if the teacher is happy and feeling good then it's going to benefit the pupils."
He added: "It's our job as teachers and educators – as well as getting our pupils qualifications – to make them valuable contributors to society, and to make sure that they're mentally strong and healthy."
Looking forward to the Blackboard Awards, Colin noted the clichéd habit of claiming recognition on behalf of "everyone", but he insisted that it truly is a reflection of the efforts of the whole school community.
"When I set this up it really was about trying to get our staff feeling good after lockdown, but there is a team there that works really hard – I just kind of coordinate it," he said.
"I went to this school, I grew up in West Belfast, and I went to CBS before it was amalgamated, and I've worked all my days here since I qualified, so I've spent all my life in this building on the Glen Road," he said.
"To be nominated for anything for this school is everything to me. Outside of my family this is probably the most important thing in my life, and it always has been from age 11. I literally couldn't be happier. I'm very proud."
In 2021, the Blackboard Awards were forced to adopt an online-only model in response to the Covid restrictions but this year the in-person event will return — while observing protocols – when the Europa Hotel Belfast hosts the cream of our teaching heroes on Friday 4 March.
You can nominate your Teaching Beacon of Hope at the Tenth Annual Blackboard Awards here.
The Blackboard Awards welcome nominations for teaching assistants, teachers, principals and support staff at our schools. In this uncertain time, all deserve our praise.
