How The School Nurse Used DonorsChoose to Fund a Relaxation Room for Students; especially those with anxiety.
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.png "What can school nurses offer students who complain of anxiety while at school? See how this school nurse created a relaxation room with funds from DonorsChoose")
Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: Anxiety is a mental health issue that affects many people, including teenagers. Actually, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders among teenagers. Approximately 1 in 3 teenagers experiences some form of anxiety during their teenage years. Read on to see how I used a DonorsChoose project to create a Relaxation Room for my students who experience anxiety during the school day.
Inspired by my school’s Sensory Room, I created a Relaxation Room! This room was FULLY FUNDED by my 10th DonorsChoose project & is available to all students at my school 😊 Get all the details & watch the video below ⬇️
The Relaxation Room Project
As school nurses, you've probably experienced a student complaining of anxiety. The symptoms can vary, but many include physical symptoms such as: headaches, stomach aches and muscle tension. Some students may cry, feel short of breath and feel nervous. In addition, some students may complain of excessive worrying, feeling restless, having trouble sleeping, feeling irritable, and having difficulty concentrating.
A recent study by the National Library of Medicine reported that nearly 15% of young people ages 10-19 experience a mental health disorder. At my school, we have reports that 18.57% of our student population has a known mental health condition.
My options used to be limited if the student denied school counseling services yet still wanted to try and stay at school. Not anymore thanks to a fully funded DonorsChoose project! Now, my students have another option- ten minutes (phone free) in the new Relaxation Room.
Even though this room is small (maybe 8 feet x 8 feet) & it also has a sink, a door to a water closet (toilet only), and several vintage filing cabinets, it is the perfect size for this project.
The relaxation room is complete with a reclining massage chair, side table with built in outlets, a galaxy light projector, and a calming 4 foot tall, fake fish tank! The first day of use this room made a positive impact!
Watch the video below to see how DonorsChoose helped me turn an old cot room from drab to fab!
We allow 15 minutes and that seems to work great!
However, if students need more time that is allowed too.
I kept data for my EOY BOE report and over 90% of the students who visit the nurse's office are able to return to class v. going home!
I credit this room for many of those return to class visits!
Can School Nurses Create DonorsChoose Projects?
DonorsChoose is available to most public school staff; check with your school district for their particular guidelines. Then you can read all about the projects I've completed HERE & start your very own project HERE!
The three main reasons I love using DonorsChoose are:
- DonorsChoose is very user friendly! They provide you with step-by-step directions.
- DonorsChoose collects all donated money. They purchase the items you've selected.
- DonorsChoose has the items shipped directly to your public school!
To date, I've received over $4,600 in funding to purchase items for my school nurse office & you can too! I advertise my projects on my personal Facebook page and ask friends and families to share with others. I have received donations from friends, families, businesses, and even strangers who are looking to support public schools!
.png "What can school nurses offer students who complain of anxiety while at school? See how this school nurse created a relaxation room with funds from DonorsChoose")
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