b'FOSTERING BELONGING AND IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH WITHThe student-led audit occurred as part of the INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM LIBRARIES AT MINNETONKA schools well-being and belonging plan, led by The school team at Minnetonka took up a well- Principal Jason Dubeau and Student Services being initiative to foster a sense of belongingTeacher Robyne Barbour-Dixon. It included amongst their students using student voices building staff capacity, co-developing andand books that represented them and theirteaching lessons that support belonging, and friends. Reviewing data collected from studentsrebuilding classroom libraries. Initially, aboutthrough the OurSCHOOL survey, students sense15 per cent of these libraries content did not of belonging emerged as a key area of need inrepresent the diversity audit criteria. After the the school. A barrier to building belonging wasinput from students, the renewed libraries now the content of the classroom learning resources.include approximately 65 per cent of contentTo rebuild belonging, the school team engagedthat represents the diversity of the school the students in an audit of school resources andpopulation. Using books to foster belonging,planning for class libraries that would reflect thewell-being, and social-emotional skills also true diversity of perspectives, identities, andenriched the engagement in literacy for many experiences in their school. The audit and the students. They now see themselves and their book selection also allowed students to explorefriends better reflected in the stories they read.the diversity of their classmates, 64 per cent Many students from Minnetonka had a chanceof whom identify as BIPOC, 40 per cent of to share their experiences with the LRSD Trustees whom are newcomers to Canada, and amongstat a board meeting in May 2023, describing how whom 67 unique languages are spoken. their voices led the initiative and how they felt about the books they selected. We are picking books for our class library soits more diverse and everyone doesnt look the same, and its inclusive of the whole classroom, said Kima George, a Grade 2 student in a pre-recorded video.Joel Omololu, a Grade 4 student, added this was important because, the world belongs to everybody, not just one country or one person. The students shared the reasons the books they selected held meaning for them, identifying seeing their faces, cultures, religions, interests, languages, and those of their friends reflected made them feel happier, more interested, and like they belonged.The team at Minnetonka has been overwhelmed with positive responses from the students, reflecting the connection between their sense of belonging and their well-being. This student-led initiative exemplified the LRSDs focus on belonging while putting student voices at the center of our shared work of creating environments where everyone can thrive.27'