“I’m feeling anxious during school, where can I go to calm down and
recuperate?”

We have all been there before. There is now a place on our Vanden campus made for students who feel this way: our new Wellness Center, located in R-1. It is not very well-known around campus yet, so spreading this information will hopefully allow students to take advantage of this great new resource. The Wellness Center is designed to be a quiet space for struggling or stressed students who may need to relax or talk to one of the student support specialists, Coach T, or Tonya Dismuke.

A student who wishes to remain anonymous confided, “I went to the wellness center when I felt a panic attack was about to happen. Just the environment and being able to be by myself helped me feel better and let me take a breath.”
Now, it is not just for feeling anxious. If you are just struggling or having a hard time during class – or maybe something is upsetting you – you can go to the Wellness Center. There, you will get a chance to take a break, relax, and even talk it out with a trusted adult in the room.

Matt Richtel, from– Fresh Air, claims, “public health threats for teenagers have really changed over the last, you know, stretch of time.” From this piece of information we can see that teen’s health has been recognized and people are more aware now. The Wellness Center is a great start to helping teens’ mental health improve.
The Wellness Center is not for passing periods or getting kicked out of class. It is a place for processing your emotions and learning how to handle them in a positive way. This will allow students to get back into the classroom once their emotions are regulated. There are comfortable seating arrangements and distractions arranged around the room.

“How can I get to the wellness center even if I’m in class?”

Students who feel the need to leave class must ask their teacher to leave for the wellness center; there is a specific pass for it. The Wellness Center’s hours are from 1st period until 4th, closed at lunch and after school, then during 5th and 6th, an appointment can be scheduled in the Counselor’s office or Student Support Center. There is no supervisor or adult in the Wellness Center available to sign off a pass during 5th or 6th period, or after school.
The building is mostly supervised by Ms. Tonya and Coach T. Students can stay in the center for a maximum of 20 minutes. However, in the facility, there are 20 minute sand-timers that allow students to self regulate, rather than anxiously wait for someone to kick them out.

The Wellness Center is a great new addition to Vanden to support and help students. “Instead of our schools and communities being the victims of violence, they can be the source of teaching positive psychological health and well-being” (U.S. Newswire Washington).