Since the fires that devastated a number of community buildings on January 17, students, staff and community members in Milltown, Bay d’Espoir have been rallying together to pick up the pieces and move forward in solidarity. A number of great initiatives have been underway in the area, many of them spearheaded by staff members of Bay d’Espoir Academy. Below, please find the details of just a few of the focused initiatives and learn about the resilience of the human spirit that is alive and well within our province:

Collecting the Pieces

After the traumatic experience of losing their school in Milltown, countless teachers, parents, students, workers, and volunteers have been assisting graciously in the transition to the new location in St. Alban's.

Throughout the past week there has been a tremendous amount of supplies donated from supporters from all across the province. Several schools have collected funds and resources that have been essential in making the transition more seamless.

Cathy Manuel, a grade 6 teacher at Bay d'Espoir Academy says, 'It's very heartwarming to see how people all across the island are reaching out to give us a hand. It just shows the true nature of Newfoundland and Labradorians in times of need.'

Such acts of kindness do not go unnoticed as resources are being constantly collected, sorted, and stored. These will eventually be distributed to the students once they resume their studies.

The staff and students of Bay d'Espoir Academy are all overwhelmed by the generosity of those who have contributed in the effort of creating not only a new environment, but also a future for the students.

Raising Their Voices

Once reunited as a staff after the fire that occurred to Bay d'Espoir Academy, it was decided that the students should come together and sing. Mrs. Valerie Coombs, the music teacher at the school, took it upon herself to arrange a concert at St. Ignatius Church in St. Alban's.

Through word of mouth, social media, and news outlets, several members of the community joined together to create a night of music and hope for the transitioning of their beloved school.

With an attendance of several hundred people, a set list of over a dozen performances, and a contribution of close to eight thousand dollars, the night was surely a success.

Students, parents, and even staff members joined together to share their musical renditions of songs that come from several decades, genres, and corners of the world.

The vocal students of Mrs. Coombs then joined together in a beautiful rendition of the song, ‘We Are The World.’ As the lyrics state, ‘let's realize that a change can only come, when we stand together as one;’ the message really strikes a chord with everyone who has been affected by this heartbreaking disaster.

Let's Talk Mental Health

There certainly has been plenty to talk about lately down in Bay d'Espoir. However, during the readjustment to the new facility, students and staff alike took the time to start talking about mental health.

Every year, Bell Media has a day where they raise money based on interactions related to #BellLetsTalk. Through each text message, Facebook post, Tweets, Instagram photo, Snapchat filter, or phone call, five cents get contributed to mental health initiatives.

Students of the Leadership Group and teachers were busy sending messages to help raise money for the cause. As a group, they believe that there is stigma surrounding mental health, but getting the conversation going and raising money certainly help the cause.

Alyssa Organ, a member of the Leadership Group, states, ‘The stigma attached to mental health is something I feel we should all be working towards eliminating. Bell Let’s Talk day is a great way to bring attention to the issue by getting everyone talking and involved.’

The #BellLetsTalk day was a success after having over 125,000,000 interactions. The students feel pride in being able to help the cause.