MCSD opens Wellness Rooms at three schools

For many high school students, it is common to feel stressed and overwhelmed. From managing family and friend relationships to work and extracurricular activities, life has many demands and is constantly throwing curveballs. Morgan High School (MHS) offers a Wellness Room to students for that very reason. 

According to Kylee Rock, the head of the project, the purpose of the Wellness Room is to “provide students with the opportunity to self-regulate: realizing that they are overwhelmed and stressed and need a break.” Their mission is to provide a safe place for students to get away from school and daily stress to relax and unwind. Rock has worked at Morgan High School for the last six years and she knows the ins and outs of the school. “Whenever a student is upset, frustrated, or stressed they either go to the counseling center or the bathroom,” Rock commented. “They might not want to talk to anyone at the moment, but they do know that they can't handle things for the time being. The Wellness Room gives them that opportunity.”

Rock worked with Kimmalee Crookston, a member of Weber Human Services Prevention, to make the Wellness Room a reality. Crookston informed Rock that there was grant money available for schools to organize a Wellness Room. As a result, Rock and Crookston wrote a grant together and secured the funding needed. Once that was done, all they had to do was find a place. Rock worked closely with administration to find the best location and they determined that the CTE classroom (Once used for storage and as a photo lab) was the most efficient way to use the extra space.

The process itself is simple: students must inform their teacher before leaving class. Then they will receive a special hall pass that serves as a ticket into the Wellness Room. The Wellness Room is available any time throughout the day with teacher approval. Once students check-in, they are free to go into the room and utilize a mindfulness tool. There are various services provided at the Wellness Room; music, peace and quiet, fidgets, puzzles, and sand art to name a few. 

As the sign “No cellphone use please” suggests, technology usage is strongly discouraged while using the Wellness Room. Students are asked to leave their belongings outside the room and phone chargers are provided for personal devices. Rock emphasized that “the wellness room is supervised. There is always a member of the staff present. It is not a place to hang out and it is not intended for hiding or sluffing a class. It has a specific purpose.” Students are permitted only fifteen minutes in the Wellness Room to destress and decompress before returning to class. Once students are ready to learn, they will need to make up for lost time and homework but assistance from the teacher will be given like usual.

The concept of a Wellness Room has been around for quite some time. They originated in colleges and have begun to work their way down into high schools, middle schools, and even elementary schools. MHS follows the program "Brain Tree Wellness'' which offers software that allows students to check in, tell the counselors how they're feeling, and utilize the room. According to their website (featured below), “the Wellness Room system is based on physiology and neuroscience. We model and teach students to recognize how their stress response system works. We teach coping skills to use to self-regulate and soothe their nervous system.” The Wellness Room has had a very positive impact so far. Statistics show that there is a 95% increase in attitude from when students enter the room to when they leave. In most cases, they go from being stressed and anxious to calm and relaxed. 

The Wellness Room is part of the MHS Connection Center which also provides a food pantry, hygiene kits, showers, study rooms, mental health services, clothing, laundry services, and more. In addition, there are wellness centers in both middle schools. The goal is to establish them in the elementary schools as well. If you are interested in using the Wellness Room, it is located behind the counseling center (Two doors down) near the computer labs. To learn more, visit the official web page below:

https://mhs-counseling-center-home.my.canva.site/mhs-connection-centerλ