Plans still in place for teacher 'relaxation area' when school reopens
Posted March 2020
Staff Editor
Before school closed on March 13, plans were in place to create a staff relaxation area in the northwest corner of the North Staff room thanks to a $5,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente.
The 10 foot by 10 foot space will be set aside for staff to practice mindfulness, relaxation, meditation, and is specifically not for working in order to reduce high amounts of stress school officials experience regularly. There will be an effort made to clearly mark spaces in the room meant for work, eating, and relaxation.
A requirement of the grant is that the space will not be shared with students. Therefore, the fund was going to be split between just the North and South Staff rooms. Unfortunately, the grant only allows for one space to be made, so the North Staff Room was chosen since it’s larger.
"We're also re-organizing and trying to update the entire staff room, using things we already have or obtained outside the grant for the remaining areas in the staff room," said Health Educator and Link Crew Co-Coordinator Jon Archer.
There are several other limitations and restrictions to the relaxation area. The grant restricts consumable items to be purchased, and the district guidelines don’t allow for changes to overhead light fixtures, purchase of rugs, or painting of the space. Nevertheless, there are numerous items currently being considered for purchase, including leather chairs and couches, massage pads, succulent wall art, and even decor with positive messages.
“This has been a very exciting project for our school,” said Archer. “Many hours have gone into planning and decision-making so far, and I'm excited to see the end result. I'm really appreciative that our school is taking a significant, long-last step to focus on employee wellness.”
Teacher Relaxation Area