RENFREW COUNTY DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
Hannah Beach - "The Emotional Roots of Aggression and Anxiety"

On September 27th, 2023 the Renfrew County District School Board (RCDSB), in partnership with the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC), hosted a workshop for over 350 parents, guardians, RCDSB staff and trustees featuring keynote speaker Hannah Beach on "The Emotional Roots of Aggression and Anxiety: Supporting Change and Building Resilient Kids," at Festival Hall in Pembroke. 

Hannah Beach presenting to 350 RCDSB parents, guardians, and staff members at Festival Hall in Pembroke.
 

An award-winning educator, author, emotional health consultant, and keynote speaker, Hannah Beach was recognized by the Canadian Human Rights Commission in 2017 as one of five featured changemakers in Canada. 

She delivered a warm and conversational workshop exploring why children are displaying more challenging behaviours than ever. She provided tools to the audience, addressing the root issues behind aggression and anxiety, to support resilience, and create lasting change. 

Earlier in the day Hannah Beach presented a captivating session at RCDSB's Senior Administrators meeting which includes Principals, Vice Principals, System Principals and Senior Staff.

"We feel so fortunate to have Hannah speak to RCDSB's parent and guardian community, along with staff members," says Shelley Gagne, RCDSB Principal of Program Services K-6. "Especially coming out of the pandemic, we know that kids are dealing with stress and anxiety. Hannah's focus on the power of building conditions that foster emotional and social health, learning to recognize and acknowledge our children and teens' feelings, provides more tools in our toolkit to help support children and teens."

Left to right: Krista Recoskie, RCDSB Principal of Student Success and Program Services (7-12); Hannah Beach; Shelley Gagne, RCDSB Principal of Program Services K-6.
 

Hannah Beach is the co-author of the best-selling book Reclaiming Our Students: Why Children Are More Anxious, Aggressive, and Shut-Down than Ever and What We Can Do About It, with Tamara Neufeld Strijack, a trauma-informed resource for teachers and parents rooted in the relationship-based approach. The book is now being translated into multiple languages internationally including French, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Ukrainian and Korean. The book has been adopted by school boards across Canada. Her bestselling I Can Dance book series, supporting the emotional health of children through movement, play, and expression, won a 2017 Gold International Moonbeam Children's Book Award.