Rural schools in the Prairie South School Division (PSSD) are benefiting from mental wellness programs and projects thanks to grant-matching from the River Street Promotions (RSP) fund — the money comes from the annual Homestand and Nashville Night concerts that RSP organizes.
“We joined with another school, as well, Glentworth School, and we brought in a mental health and wellness speaker named Brad Siroski, and we had a presentation for our Grade 3 to 6s,” explained Karla Silbernagel, principal of Mankota School.
“He talked about struggling in school with ADHD, but he put it in terms that kids could understand, and he talked about feelings and that there’s no ‘wrong’ feeling, it’s just how to handle feelings, and he talked about some strategies for good mental health.”
Siroski also did a second presentation with the Grade 7-12 group from both schools in which he focused on his struggles with addiction and mental health. He then led a workshop in the afternoon narrowing in on the causes of mental illness and solutions to improve mental health.
Students like Kalleigh A. said Siroski had “a unique story which was different than a lot of speakers,” while Emily C. said he “kept it real,” and Abraham G. said that “Sometimes presenters are boring, but I was interested in his story. He made me think about what might make someone do drugs.”
Since forming their non-profit in 2021 and holding the Homestand concert series at Ross Wells Park in Moose Jaw, RSP has donated hundreds of thousands to a fund jointly accessible by PSSD and Holy Trinity Catholic School Division.
Schools in the division can apply for grant-matching for mental wellness projects including bringing motivational speakers, renovating ‘quiet rooms’ for children to take breaks in, providing resources for staff and students, and more.
Following Homestand ‘24, which featured Trick Ryder, Belle Plaine, The Steadies, Doc Walker, headliners 54-40, and Toque closing the evening out, RSP donated $130,000 to the fund.
“It’s very costly for some of our small schools to get guest speakers, especially because we’re so remote,” Silbernagel added. “Having River Street Promotions sponsor that was amazing ... and it was a really powerful day.”
Another recent project that benefited from the RSP fund was in Mossbank, where students heard from Whitney Ogle, an Indigenous speaker from Wood Mountain Lakota First Nation. Mossbank School principal Brett Tiffen said Ogle’s presentation was engaging, informative, and fun, and they’ll be having her back.
“She was helping with our wellness goal and our Indigenous goal at the same time, and she presented some life stories and how it related to the wellness of the kids and perseverance and to keep going through the different situations the kids have in their lives,” Tiffen explained.
“She’s going to be coming out in the spring, as well. So, we found out what her fee was and we talked to River Street Promotions and yeah, they gave us half the money. It was awesome. For our division goals, our idea is to bring more awareness to Indigenous culture, especially living in Saskatchewan, where we have such a history. When I grew up, that information just wasn’t there.”
Ogle taught the students about the Seven Sacred Teachings — love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility, and truth. Tiffen said students listened closely and were able to relate what they heard to their own lives and discuss getting through hard times and difficult situations using the Teachings.
