News - Learwood Provides New Calming Space for Students
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From academic responsibilities to personal relationships, students can face a variety of stressful challenges. At Learwood Middle School, students now have access to John’s Safe Place, a calming area where they can spend a few minutes to decompress and cope with stress in a healthy, positive manner. Named after the memory of John C. Haney, a young adult who tragically took his own life in 2017, and created by his parents, Rick and Beth Haney, these special calming rooms are located in schools across Northeast Ohio and made possible through the generous support of the John C. Haney Foundation. The John’s Safe Place location at Learwood is designed to promote a calming atmosphere with relaxing features such as comfortable furniture, aquarium tank, and other amenities to help students experiencing social and emotional issues.
Any Learwood student who is feeling stressed can notify their teacher and is then encouraged to visit a school counselor to share how they are feeling. Afterwards, the student can then visit John’s Safe Place for up to ten minutes to read, reflect, take calming breaths, and utilize other helpful strategies to help them return to a calmer state. Out of respect for student privacy, only one student is allowed in the room at a time. The Avon Lake City Schools video production team has produced the following informative video to introduce John’s Safe Place to Learwood students. A special thank you to the John C. Haney Foundation, and both Learwood and district staff for their efforts and support in providing this impactful resource that will help Learwood students feel safe, supported, and ready to succeed.
