The Peace and Wellness Space, also known as PAWS, opened in November of last year. Since then, it has grown in popularity among students, especially during brunch and lunch. “We did more targeted outreach this year,” mental health support specialist Shionda Nickerson said. “During freshman orientation, PAWS was a place on the tour that students came to. We also had teachers who brought some of their classes in to show them around. As the word starts to get out, more and more students start to come.”
When students are stressed or want to be alone, PAWS offers multiple tools to help, including coloring books, squish balls, and the most popular choice, the tea station. The warm environment is open to all students, even those who just want to hang out. “We come most days, whenever it’s open, to play video games,” sophomore Cole Fehrenbach said.
Although the room is open during brunch and lunch, PAWS Manager Joanna Contreras said that PAWS’ primary purpose is to provide mental health support to students during class time. “If students feel like they can’t handle being in class, they can come in to take a break, or if they need to talk to someone. We have crisis counselors available all day and Spanish-speaking counselors for those who feel like they’re not comfortable speaking in English,” Contreras said.
PAWS has received an increased flow of students, which has helped bring awareness to mental health issues. At the same time, this comes with challenges—sometimes, students are not mindful of others and create disturbances. “It gets a little chaotic sometimes. I have students just completely ignore the rules, and I hate getting people in trouble,” Contreras said.
“I think it is distracting sometimes during lunch but I understand people like to stop by during lunch to take a break and hang out,” senior Maya Rozelle said.
“It’s nice seeing everyone finally come through,” Contreras said. “If students don’t want to be in class, it means there’s something else going on. So I let them have their time in PAWS.”
“We want to make sure that students can feel more comfortable with getting help,” Contreras added.
