Galileo SI students transform room into Wellness Corner
by Vera Tronca
The beginning of this school year marked a fresh start at Galileo Adult Education Centre of the English Montreal School Board, and with each start comes new ideas filled with new hopes for a new beginning.
Social Integration (SI) students from the first floor were dreaming of a calm area, where they could go to unwind, gather their thoughts and emotions, and refresh their minds. To gain inspiration, students agreed to use an existing, empty space to create this space.
Over a span of three weeks, the hard-working students were relentless in their attempt to revamp this room. Using work skills, they moved old furniture out; unpacked boxes and sorted out their contents; assembled new furniture; and cleaned and organized for the grand opening. They truly embraced the meaning of collaboration and teamwork as they communicated their ideas and helped each other transform an old space into their very own Wellness Corner. The name was selected to embody the different methods of taking care of their well-being: reading, relaxing or playing board games.
SI students use their Wellness Corner throughout the day to relax in the mornings before starting class and as a quiet, reading period in the afternoons. The calmness emanating from the room provides them with the encouragement to self-regulate and helps manage their emotions when their energy levels are high or over-stimulated. It provides students the power to identify and cope with their triggers, which, in turn, improves overall classroom behaviour.
To encourage autonomy, tasks such as turning off lamps and cleaning up afterwards are delegated daily to students to help keep their Wellness Corner clean, organized and ready for the next day.
Together with their teachers’ guidance, students gave an ordinary room a major face-lift. Today, SI students can finally enjoy a meaningful and useful space they have created collaboratively as one big Galileo family.
The following social integration teachers and facilitators helped bring the project to life: Lu Termini, Vanessa Mazzilli, Brigida Zappia, Caroline Jelovcic, Nancy Ruscitto, Lisa Germile and Natalia B. Iammatteo. Vera Tronca is a Social Integration teacher at Galileo Adult Education Centre.
