Graham, NC: Middle school 'Reset Room' for students who get 'very escalated'

Sept 27, 2021, Fox 8, Winston-Salem, NC: Broadview Middle School’s ‘Reset Room’ is doing wonders for the mental health of its students https://myfox8.com/morning-show/whats-right-with-our-schools/broadview-middle-schools-reset-room-is-doing-wonders-for-the-mental-health-of-its-students/

GRAHAM, N.C. (WGHP) — At Broadview Middle School in Graham, students who find their emotions taking a turn for the worse, can instead take a right turn, to get help. Seventh-grade principal Shanise Goldsby says the counselors have created a “Reset Room.” Shanise says, “When they come into this room, they can get their thoughts; they can calm down to be able to process information that I’m trying to let them know. And this information is either, what you did, right or what you did wrong. But it allows them to be able to process the information a little bit better when they can have a calming mind.” They call it the Bobcat Reset Room. It is a place where students can come to refocus their energy…. It is a safe place where instead of getting into trouble, they find out what is causing it. Porscha Alston, the school social worker, says it helps everyone. “This is just another way to integrate social, emotional learning into the school and to provide our students with healthy coping skills when they are escalated.”… And according to Goldberg, sometimes it’s quiet time that helps. “We have like things that are more physical things that you can listen to, but also take that stimulus away,” she says. “Cause when you’ve like flipped your lid and you really just need a moment, you sometimes want a decrease in stimulation. So we have noise-canceling headphones, we have blindfolds. And if they really just need a moment to go within themselves to calm themselves down, we also provide that as well.” For some students, it’s emotions they find hard to explain and even harder to prevent. The items in the room help them do just that…. “Cause it’s really hard if you’re in a class of 25 students and you notice one of them is getting very escalated.,” she says. “You still have that 24 over here that you still need to be attentive to. So to have an option like this, where you can give them the choice to remove themselves and another adult can take them to this room that is amazing for the teacher because they know that the student is taken care of that student is taken out of this situation that has escalated them, or they’re given the chance to talk away from their peers. And then they can reintegrate back into the classroom when they feel like they’re ready.” Allowing them to get back to learning.