A Zen den. A chill-out spot. A room of requirement.
Whatever you call it, staff and students at Brooke Point High School say it’s a unique and useful addition to their building.
What formerly was a cold, drab cinder block space has been transformed into a wellness room complete with cozy seating, soft blankets, fidget toys, low lighting and a calming effect. Students can hang out in the room whenever they need a little break from the stresses of high school or if they want to regulate any overwhelming feelings.
“We want to teach students that it’s OK to not feel OK,” Assistant Principal Megan Stiffler said.
A volunteer stocks a bookshelf in the new wellness center at Brooke Point High. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Macy’s, Inc.)
Thanks to Stafford County Public Schools’ partnership with The JED Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on mental health and suicide prevention in young people, the room was outfitted with new furniture and decor by Macy’s. Last week, volunteers came together to unveil the finished project.
Designed by Brooke Point High School students, the wellness room represents approximately a $20,000 investment and nearly 100 volunteer hours from Macy’s Mission One program.
Brooke Point High School was selected by Macy’s for the renovation project following a nationwide selection process of school districts participating in the inaugural cohort of the District Comprehensive Approach program from JED and The School Superintendents Association (AASA).
Wellness programs targeting mental and emotional health in schools are gaining traction nationally, and school leaders think that’s a positive development.
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“The fact that it’s another environment for our kids to go to is so invaluable,” said Katrina Palyo, director of counseling for the school division. “Thinking back to when I was a high school student, I would have drooled over this room as a student taking multiple AP classes and working and doing sports or whatever… Our kids are faced with so many stressors nowadays and this is another place for them to breathe and just to be.”
As a busy International Baccalaureate senior at BPHS, Joellaine Duku is already a fan of the wellness room and knows personally what it feels like to need a break during the day.
“One thing we always talk about is how we need to get together and de-stress,” Duku said. “Sometimes we will take a trip to Panera just to separate ourselves from the [school]work. But it’s nice to have that environment here.
“Because I’m going to be so honest and real with you — there have been times during school when we’ve all broken down because it’s just a lot of burden sometimes. Being able to share that burden and have other people support you, helps a lot.”
Joellaine Duku (far left) and other students see the wellness room for the first time. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Macy’s, Inc.)
The wellness room will have a member of the counseling department available to students anytime the room is open, and teachers are encouraged to find ways to utilize the space with their classes or simply when a student needs a moment of stillness away from the classroom.
“Some people might not be as comfortable with their emotions around people… so to have this safe space where you can be in solitude or just sit and do whatever you need to do … I feel like that’s so beneficial,” Duku added.
Unlike going to another area, such as the library or a gymnasium, the difference in the wellness room is the purpose of the space — a designated place full of books and resources meant to help students destress. It’s an ambiance that can’t be found elsewhere at school.
“We have coloring pages, journals, stress toys, fidget toys, things that you can cuddle with. We have these super comfortable couches, and like, come on? Who doesn’t want to be in here?” Duku said.
Schools across the state have created calming rooms, and locally Fredericksburg City Public Schools recently launched a virtual calming room.
“I think in high school, it’s easy for our students to really push things under the rug and just to kind of push through things, stuff it down, just get through with like it,” Stiffler said. “Like, I just have to make it to Monday and that that should not be the norm. It’s OK to take a minute and be like, I need a break. I need 15 minutes to kind of re-center, re-ground myself and move forward in a more positive and productive way.”
The BPHS wellness room will open to the student body at the start of the second quarter and as the county recognizes October as Bully Prevention Month. Stiffler and Palyo said counseling staff are working on a Mediation Mondays program in the room.
It’s one more creative tool in the ongoing work to overcome the stigma of discussing mental and emotional health and finding healthy coping skills to deal with stress, depression and anxiety.
“I think the word is ‘intentional,’” Stiffler said. “It’s an intentionally designed space and it’s an intentionally motivated area where students are at the forefront and everything in the room is meant to support their mental health and their social and mental wellbeing.”
