For more than 60 years, Toronto French School (TFS) has been redefining bilingual education, shaping the young minds of today through an internationally recognized curriculum. With campuses serving students from age two to university entrance, TFS fosters a diverse, co-educational environment where students grow as individuals and global citizens.
But supporting students starts with supporting the people who teach them.
For the past three years, TFS partnered with HEAL for a series of wellness-focused lunch and learns during their Professional Development (Pro D) days, to provide staff with health education & lifestyle habits to support mental health, lifestyle, and nutrition.
The sessions were so well received that they decided to take it a step further by expanding their wellness programming to include a team-building 4-week wellness challenge. HEAL Wellness Challenges are customizable based on the needs of the employees and encourage employees to build healthier habits through team-building and individual daily challenges.
Toronto French School recognized the importance of mental health and how stress and burnout can degrade employee engagement over time. Because teachers are about twice as likely as other working adults to experience frequent job-related stress, this was a priority not only to support the employees but to ensure their campuses continued to thrive.
That’s where HEAL’s wellness challenge came in. The structured, multi-week program focused on nutrition, movement, and mental health, offering daily wellness challenges that employees could easily incorporate into their daily routines.
The program saw exceptional engagement, with over one-third of all teachers and administrative staff enrolling in the 4-week wellness challenge, surpassing the expectations of Gabriel Bérard, Executive Director of People and Culture at TFS. He was especially proud of the engagement in the program and the healthy habits employees were able to build.
"I really enjoyed it. I was hesitant to sign up due to having so little time, but it was such a breath of fresh air and ended up being something I looked forward to."
100% of participants said they were able to implement new healthy habits
100% of participants felt their company cared about their health & well-being
89% of participants reported better stress management and increased happiness
84% of participants said the challenge made work more enjoyable
84% of participants felt more connected to their colleagues
Aside from the survey data, TFS participants were very engaged in the challenge and accomplished incredible health milestones, like achieving over 22,075 minutes exercised and 1,706 litres of water consumed.
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The program not only helped employees feel healthier but also strengthened workplace relationships. Many teachers and administrative staff wanted to continue participating in challenges, with the majority (76%) responding to the survey that they wanted to have a challenge 2-3 times per year.
What made this challenge so effective?
From the organizer’s perspective, Gabriel, Toronto French School’s Executive Director, People and Culture, shared how much he appreciated how hands-off the program was.
"Even after the challenge ended, we’re still seeing staff maintaining the healthy habits they picked up, like drinking more water and staying active. The team aspect really boosted engagement and brought people closer together. The whole program was extremely easy to run, flexible for everyone’s needs, and our team loved the app. We even noticed more people signing up to use the gym long after the program ended!" - Gabriel Bérard, Executive Director of People and Culture at TFS
The Toronto French School wellness challenge proved that investing in employee well-being doesn’t just benefit the teachers and administrative staff—it strengthens the entire school, even down to the impact on students. By prioritizing mental health, movement, and nutrition, it helped foster a culture of support, leaving staff feeling healthier, happier, and more connected.
With plans to run the program all year, it’s clear that wellness is now a valued part of the Toronto French School community.
Want to bring a similar challenge to your workplace? Click here to contact us about a customized, done-for-you wellness program.
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