Celebrity comes to Alec
Famous for relationship with Pete from big brother and wrote a book; Dying to Be Thin. An interview with Mrs Artus took place when Nikki Grahame came to Alec Hunter. Personal Development lessons are based on Personal, Economical and financial wellbeing of a child. It allows students to gain additional knowledge of basic life skills, sexual health, addictions, conflict resolution, future finances, life plans and further education, as well as work with connexions, work related learning and interview techniques, CVs and personal statements.
Personal Development has a wide selection of visitors from outside agencies to support the topics students will be learning about. Mrs Artus made contact with a charity based company; Moulding Futures, to gain a greater understanding of mental health and the support the students’ knowledge of this.
Tracey Shave, project leader of the company had been awarded a large amount of funding to produce a magazine that would go out into the community, to raise awareness of mental health. Tracey suffers from bi-polar herself and this is the reason for her being involved in moulding futures. Tracey also is passionate about getting the message out there about mental health.
Mrs Artus thought this would be a good project for either an English group or media group to take on and at the same time the partnership could support the subjects’ aims, to promote mental health amongst students.
The project was carried out with Mrs Adams, English teacher and her year 9 English class. The project was completed and Mrs Artus and Tracey Shave, thought it would be nice to have a celebrity promote the project and possibly speak to students on this matter. Tracey Shave arranged for Nikki Graham to visit Alec on 27/01/10, where Nikki attended the year 9 lesson and informed them of her eating disorder and OCD.
Nikki had started eating disorder at the age of 8 and from the age of 9 she was in and out of hospitals and clinics up until the age of 19. Over this time, this has not only suffered with this disease but also has been unable to form friendships, attend school, or do anything a normal teenager/child would do in their life.
As she informed her horrific experiences and how she felt over time to the class, which gave the students a greater insight to this illness and hopefully has warned them about diets and media influences and that if anyone feels they have a problem with eating and exercise then they need to ask to see someone straight away, so that they don’t go through the same.
Although the medical ways have changed for the better and the understanding this disease in the medical world has changed for the better. EATING Disorders are still happening today and are very serious and many people blame the media partly for this.
Mrs Artus is going to organise with the school nurse and Moulding futures to incorporate a mental health section into PD. PD does try to focus on the person themselves, body image and outside influences and looking at friendships and strengths of the students to hopefully combat the images of stick thin men and women and perfect looking skin that we see in the world today, as being the thing to be.
Mrs Artus is on a GOK mission in PD, as she feels he has done wonders for women and men on his shows ‘How to Look Good Naked and GOKs Fashion Fix’ Maybe we could get GOK to visit our college in PD?
When visiting the college, Nikki, was a very amenable, welcoming and kind lady, who had no airs and graces about her. She just came into Mrs Artus’ had a cup of tea and a chat as if she was one of the staff or a friend and she said if she could help in any way she would. Mrs Artus has asked Mrs Pipe, Librarian if we can get her book in the library and she said yes.
Mrs Artus wanted to say thank you to Mrs Adams and her year 9 students who completed a wonderful magazine and behaved in a fantastic way when Nikki visited the college. “Mrs Adam’s worked hard with Tracey and the year 9 students and without her s and Tracey’s commitment the project would have not been as successful. Actually this was a good example of cross curricular lesson!”
The magazine will go out into the community within the next couple of months. A year 9 student is writing an article on Mrs Artus to put in the focus of her experience of the project. Mrs Artus said, “It's sustainable in the way that the initial meeting with Tracey has developed into a lasting partnership that will help with the awareness of mental health.”
By Lauren & Rebecca.
