For those of you who may have missed seeing the wonderful news broadcast segment on WNDU on Monday featuring our North School Reset Room, you can watch it HERE.
WNDU Anchor Tricia Sloma visited North School last week to see firsthand how a WNDU/Martins Supermarket "One School at a Time" grant was being used. She visited the school's reset room and spoke with students about their experiences visiting the room and with Behavior Interventionist Chris Roland about how important resources like the reset room can be for kids.
Here is Tricia's take on the visit, as published in WNDU's Newsbreak online newsletter:
BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. (WNDU) - Fifth-grader Landen McKie has the perfect explanation of Watervliet North Elementary’s Reset Room.
“The room that helps you the most,” said McKie. He visits the reset room when he needs a break.
“I get to have fun here. I get to have friends here. I get to learn stuff. I get to let out my emotions. And no one judges me for it,” said McKie.
“A lot of kids need a chance to reset,” said Chris Roland, the school’s behavior interventionist. Her job is to help kids identify ways to better cope with stress and improve social interactions.
“Covid kind of really magnified that for a lot of kids. We didn’t have as much of the time out of the building as some of the larger schools, but still, a lot of that social development was put on hold,” said Roland.
“I like how it’s better for people to get calm and get better at their emotions,” said Challon Wise, 3rd grader.
There are sensory toys. And a sensory path with simple instructions that work your mind and body.
“There’s little like circles and you have to kind of jump like a frog,” said Haily Gutowski, 4th grader.
The grant money will help the school add more supplies to enhance the experience.
“I feel like the challenge will help me reset my mind and not think about crazy things that are actually going on and actually help me focus on school,” said Mckenzi Brayman, 5th grader.
And if you mess up? It’s ok.
“They get to start over an area if they haven’t been happy with the way they’ve done it or they haven’t followed exactly the way the path goes. That’s a great lesson in life. That we can always take a step back. We can start again. So, we can reset our brains we can reset our bodies,” said Roland.
“I kind of messed up some jumping jacks and Ms. Roland helped me figure them out. And I was so happy after that, I got to have a good day that day,” said McKie.
A good day that can turn a life around.
If you would like to nominate your school for the One School at a Time grant from Martin’s Super Markets, click here: One School At A Time
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(Reprinted with permission)