Galesburg CUSD #205 offered its third annual Choose to Thrive in #205 wellness event thanks to a very determined team of staff who brought the event to life on Saturday, March 2, 2024. The event team, Mindi Ritchie, Mindy Matthews, Sarah Wills, and Tina Imes created a day filled with opportunities for growth, learning, and camaraderie for over 400 attendees. The day’s focus was social, mental, and physical wellness. Another important purpose of the event was the showing of appreciation for any staff member in the district who attended. It is the District’s goal that the event aids in the recruitment and retainment of our valued staff. Employees were paid for attending the event.
The morning began with a keynote from nationally known motivational speaker and world-class athlete, Charles Clark, who spoke to attendees about how to step into being the best version of themselves. The day continued with breakout sessions, lunch catered by CUSD #205 Food Service, a Vendors Fair with almost twenty community partners, and more breakout sessions in the afternoon. A sample of some of the Professional Development sessions offered include, “The Art and Science of Play”, “Flow and Let Go Yoga”, and a painting and pottery session offered by Galesburg’s Art Defined.
Staff in attendance were thankful for the opportunity to be part of such a large wellness event. According to Steele Elementary Paraprofessional, Amanda Ray-Macumber, “I enjoyed the opportunity to engage and interact with other passionate educators while practicing social and emotional skills that can be used in the classroom to benefit our students. We all want to feel a part of something greater than ourselves and as educators, we want to inspire, motivate, and make a positive difference in the lives of our students and those around us. The Choose to Thrive event created an environment that showed love and appreciation for educators, reminding us how important each one of us is to our community. Choose to Thrive in #205 was an amazing experience that provided an opportunity for educators to recharge, and focus on personal wellness while successfully highlighting the importance of mental health and self-care in a fun, uplifting and memorable way. A big thank you to Galesburg District #205 and to all who made this wonderful event possible!”
Mindi Ritchie, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Student Supports, stated, “We sincerely hope all attendees enjoyed the event. We hope that it built energy, created conversation, and represented a small step towards charting a personal course forward in regards to wellness and the importance of Social and Emotional Learning. March is the beginning of Spring, and Spring is a time for rebirth. It is our hope that this event helped staff to feel recharged and prepared to serve our students to the best extent possible.”
The event was made possible by the Teacher Vacancy Grant that was awarded to CUSD #205 by ISBE.
We hope you enjoy watching a recap video, created by Stevin Mulimi of Mulimi Photography, a 2022 Galesburg High School Graduate, by clicking here.
