Taos Students Create Wellness Spaces to Combat Pandemic-Related Stress

As a result of pandemic-related change and stress, Taos High School students have struggled with attendance and mental and behavioral health issues. Perceiving this to be a persistent problem, four Taos High School students surveyed their peers and spoke with school teachers and administrators to better understand what their peers needed to be successful. Having already seen the success of Taos High School’s staff recharge rooms to help educators contend with stress, the students proposed a similar solution: Four spaces, each designed with a different focus—e.g., to help with anxiety or depression, to encourage social engagements, to serve as a place to focus—to ensure they meet the needs of all students. A survey of the student body for design ideas and themes will create a sense of ownership. LOR’s funding will be used to help create and furnish the wellness areas, with the goals of encouraging students to attend school and remain on campus, while giving students a sense of purpose/ownership of space and providing them with a place to combat stress, boost morale, and recharge learning.

In The News

Three New Mexico School Districts Hope Wellness Spaces Boost Students’ Mental Health (Santa Fe New Mexican)