Mount Vernon High School opens calm room for students

Bean bag chairs and recliners lined the walls of the new calm room at Mount Vernon High School, as students and staff gathered for the grand opening, sitting to participate in a guided meditation, led by Career and Technical Education Director Brian Simmons, on Friday, January 17, 2025.

The initiative to create this space began last year after receiving positive feedback from students during Mental Health Awareness week about having more of these resources available to them. Katherine Barrow, a social worker at MVHS, spoke with Principal Dr. Pauline Pearce about the importance of providing these resources to the school community. She emphasized the significance of designing a designated area for students to help support their emotional wellness and intelligence.

MVHS received a donation from The Social Butterfly, an organization which provides mentorship and coaching to Mount Vernon High School students, to help open the space. The Social Butterfly is led by Ms. Priscilla Etchi, who also supports monthly Knights Day programming.

“The point of having the room is to create a peaceful, calming, soothing area,” said Ms. Barrow. “Dedicated space for students to come in to help them regulate any of their emotions when they are feeling anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, angry and to reset while in here.” 

The room is complete with a plethora of grounding and mindfulness activities participants can engage in while there. These include the cozy corner, where students can come and sit quietly to practice breathing exercises, and the art center, for students to tap into their creativity through writing and painting. There are also different sensory tools and yoga mats participants can utilize to help regulate their emotions.

During the kickoff ceremony Friday morning, students and staff heard from Acting Superintendent Dr. K Veronica Smith and principal Dr. Pearce. Both shared their appreciation for the creation of this space and the importance of taking care of one’s mental health.

“Thank you so very much, for all of you have been instrumental in setting up this room,” said Dr. Smith. “I started working at Mount Vernon High School in 2001, and I’ve seen this room go through various changes, but never to this magnitude. When I walked in, I was greeted by a wonderful scent, I was greeted by calming music; I just felt so calm and peaceful.”

Many students shared their appreciation and gratitude for the calm room and how it has helped them feel relaxed, especially with midterms and regents coming up.

“I was in the principal’s office when Ms. Barrow, Ms. Peniston, and Ms. Henry came to our attention about the calm room,” said Madison Jones, a senior at MVHS. “I just gave my input about it and I told them what to do and what not to do. The room came out nice, I really like it. I envisioned this, but not like this; it’s very calming.”

The ceremony ended with a guided meditation from Mr. Simmons, who encouraged participants to take advantage of the resources available and the grounding techniques they learned during the event.