Last year, I received a wonderful email from then-eighth graders Tanvi and Kriya with an idea they hoped to bring to Milltown. As members of Girl Scout Troop 61092 working toward their Silver Award, they wanted to create a Calming Corner where younger children could go when they were feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, or simply needed some time to relax and reset.
For Tanvi, the project also represented a return to a place that was already special to her. A former Milltown student who attended our school from Kindergarten through fourth grade, Tanvi shared how much she loved her years here and specifically hoped that she and Kriya could bring their project to Milltown.
What impressed us most was the thinking behind their idea. Tanvi and Kriya explained that younger children’s emotions can sometimes be overlooked because adults may assume that, because they are young, they do not experience feelings such as stress as strongly. They wanted to help change that by creating a space specifically designed to recognize and support those feelings.
And they did much more than simply come up with a great idea!
Now high school students, Tanvi and Kriya spent hours at Milltown this summer turning their vision into reality. Working in our counselor Ms. Harris’s office, they created a welcoming Calming Corner where children will have an opportunity to step away from the activity of the school day, regulate, relax, and prepare to return to learning.
Their thinking recognizes something important about children. We often assume that everyone cannot wait to get outside for recess, but there may be days when a child would rather have a quiet place to chill, reset, and take care of what they are feeling. The Calming Corner provides another option for those moments.
Ms. Harris has been incredibly supportive and accommodating throughout the process and is very excited to add this resource to the supports available to Milltown children.
We will initially make the Calming Corner available to our third graders, but Tanvi and Kriya’s work is not finished yet. They will return to Milltown to meet with Ms. Harris and our third graders and teach them about the purpose of the space, why someone might choose to use it, and how it can help them regulate their emotions. We especially love that the students who conceived and created the space will also have the opportunity to introduce it to the children who will use it.
We could not be prouder of Tanvi and Kriya. They identified a need, developed a thoughtful idea, dedicated hours to bringing it to life, and created something that will directly benefit younger children. Their compassion, creativity, initiative, and commitment to giving back are extraordinary.
Thank you, Tanvi and Kriya, for leaving your mark on Milltown and for reminding our children that taking care of how we feel is important, too!
Respectfully,
Dr. Lembo