CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As schools grapple with how to address mental health amidst the pandemic, there’s a growing conversation around something called a calm room.
What You Need To Know
- Calm rooms are gaining traction around the country
- It’s a space students can go and reset during their day
- Queen City STEM School just added a calm room for the new school year
Basically, it’s a space students can go to reset during their day.
The American Psychological Association says after more than two years in a pandemic, mental illness and demand for psychological services are at an all-time high, especially among young children.
For Jaida Finlayson-Gumbs, an eighth grader at Queen City STEM School, she says the pandemic has been tough as a student.
“I used to struggle with focusing and stuff because of the pandemic, but now that we are back in school, I feel like I can learn a lot better and easier,” she said.
She and a group of friends brought the idea of a calm room to their school counselor, David Cunningham.
“Me and a couple of friends thought it would be a good idea for students to have a place where we could all come together,” she said. “And you know, if you are having a stressed day or you have your own personal problems going on at home, it’s a safe place for you to come."
Cunningham says he thought it was a great idea and started a GoFundMe to get the project going.
"I was already feeling like what else can we do for the students, like, because you know, even when you think about in college, you’ve got a student union, you have places to go relax between classes and honestly, it should be no different for middle and high schools,” he said.
So far, they’ve raised more than $1,100.
They've been able to put in a couch, chairs and pillows into the room, but they hope to add more.
Cunningham says oftentimes, kids don’t have a place to go during their school day to reset if they’re having a bad day, dealing with stress or have a lot on their minds.
“We teach students math, we teach them other subjects, I think we have to teach them how to do self-care,” Cunningham said. “They do need a reset. Like when we get frustrated, angry as adults, we can go get our pedicure, message, exercise, we can do all of these different things, we have all of these outlets and our students need an outlet and I think that outlet is the calm room.”
He adds that this room will be a great resource for students.
“Because I think if we can address mental health, we can help students really have great lives and thrive,” he said.
Some school districts around the state, such as Randolph and Guilford counties, offer virtual calm rooms.
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