This week, students with the St. Clair Catholic District School Board will take over the Blackburn Media airwaves.
Students will broadcast positive 'Mindful Messages' of hope and encouragement on the radio.
The idea started in 2022 with students from St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in Corunna.
Teacher at Sarnia's Holy Trinity Catholic School Dan Cicchelli said this year, the messages were put together by students from Holy Trinity and St. Anne Catholic School in Blenheim.
"Last year we involved about six or seven classrooms and this year actually our whole school created wellness messages," said Cicchelli. "So every single student kind of participated in the activity, even though not all are going to be on the radio. Every student understood maybe some strength that they have within their own mental wellness and things that they do to make themselves feel more comfortable and they wanted to extend that to the community."
He said the public service announcements were recorded by the students and produced by Blackburn Media.
"So we really try to give students the opportunity to explore their voice and that led to the creation of those messages, " said Cicchelli. "And our hope for that is that it builds kind of the capacity for those students to do this, not only at our school but hopefully find their voice when they head off to high school and beyond as they become active contributors to our society."
Holy Trinity Principal Kelly Tremblay said the messages will be airing until May 10 as part of Mental Health Week and Catholic Education Week.
"Our Catholic Education Week theme is 'We Are Called to Love'," said Tremblay. "Initiatives like Mindful Messages can have a profound impact on schools by promoting values that align with the theme of love, fostering a positive and inclusive community and helping individuals grow in their relationships with themselves and others."
The messages will also be available through the school board's website.