CBSE Capacity Building Programme at St Joseph's

St Joseph’s Senior Secondary School, Sector 44-D, Chandigarh, hosted a one-day CBSE Capacity Building Programme on ‘Promoting mental health and wellness’. The session opened with a warm welcome by Principal Monica Chawla, whose words beautifully set the tone for the day. She underscored the increasing need for mental health awareness in schools and urged educators to view emotional well-being not as an occasional consideration but as the very foundation of all meaningful learning. The school hosted two CBSE-accredited resource persons — Dr Vineet Verma, Vice-Principal and ATL in-charge at Shiwalik Public School, Rupnagar, and Shifalika, academic coordinator and PGT chemistry at Chandigarh Baptist School — who brought deep insight and experience to the workshop. Dr Verma’s session was a reflective journey into the psychology of emotional wellness. He introduced the CARE model — C for Creating awareness, A for Addressing its importance, R for Redefining the teacher’s role, and E for Elucidating innovative strategies. Shifalika brought a global and policy-driven perspective. She explained the reasons behind happiness rankings in different countries and highlighted factors like reduced academic pressure, social equality, emotional support, and community belonging. The open forum that followed allowed educators to share challenges and strategies, affirming that promoting mental wellness is a shared responsibility. The school management members, Sukhdeep Grewal and Paramdeep Grewal, appreciated the initiative and commended the faculty for embracing their role as emotional mentors.