Students at Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts will now have a place to relax and reset thanks to a new calm room that was unveiled Friday.
Lillian Anderson, 12, was one of four CSLA students who helped during the official ribbon-cutting and said afterward the room with its soft lighting, new furniture and even the beige color scheme was helpful in getting her classmates to relax and communicate.
"It's amazing," she said.
The calm room was the result of a partnership between United Way of Greater Chattanooga, Unum, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 77, and Hamilton County Schools. It's a place where both students and teachers can go to deal with stress.
In all, $75,000 has been given to the school system, according to Natalie Patric, director of community engagement with United Way, to design and bring to life calm rooms for students. The calm room at CSLA cost around $2,500 and is the first of many, she said.
"This summer, we will start at Orchard Knob, and we plan to create a lot of these," Patric said.
CSLA Principal Krystal Scarbrough said a former closet is now the place to calm down and refocus.
"I'll be honest, I've used it," she said.
United Way of Greater Chattanooga President and CEO Lesley Scearce opened the ceremony by asking attendees to think back to their middle school days and how stressful it could be.
"I remember being a middle schooler and retreating to a corner in the bathroom," she said. "This is the first of many to come, places where students can find restoration or peace and the confidence and encouragement to be the best version of themselves."
Matt Royal, senior vice president at Unum, said he looks forward to hearing the stories of how the room, and the others to follow, have helped students. He mentioned a Unum study that found more than half of Americans have dealt with mental health issues.
"Hopefully, this will instill habits for dealing with that for the next generation," he said. "Having a calm room where they can go to get hope and strength and calm will help."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.
