Taylor Chojnacki

In a school as busy and overwhelming as ours, having a safe space to breathe, reset, and get your head back on track. A single reconnection room is no longer enough.
The reconnection room is a valuable resource that many students don’t know about. It’s one of the few places where students can step away from chaos, calm down, and actually return to class ready to learn.
Anyone who has attempted to use the reconnection room during stressful situations understands the obstacles to go through. Having a space to express your feelings freely is important, and when it is full or has a line, it can diminish. The line alone represents the need for these spaces.
Mental Health isn’t a once-in-a-while occurrence. It can happen daily depending on the student. Students juggle multiple tasks at once, causing them to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. These issues can be school itself, sports, jobs, family issues, friends, and even current or past trauma. We not only benefit from a calming space like the reconnection room, but it should be something that the students can rely on.
The worst feeling and experience to go through is having a panic attack or being on the verge of tears and not being able to do anything. Holding in emotions can make things increasingly worse. Stress and anxiety don’t wait for convenience; they just happen. Being told “it’s full” or “come back another period” can destroy a student and their mental health, depending on how serious the situation is. If we had more rooms dedicated to the students and their mental health, it would create fewer delays and immediate support.
These rooms will not only benefit the students but also the teachers and other staff members. The reconnection room can help the students cool down instead of staying in class, frustrated or angry. This can help the classroom environment with reduced disruptions. It gives the student a chance to step out, reset, and return to their calming state of mind without having to be “sent away”. Creating more reconnection rooms can relieve stress in all people in the school and can overall create a healthier environment.