Sensory classrooms await CBES students

What started out as a request for a can of paint turned into an $11,000 grant for two new sensory rooms at Cherokee Bend Elementary School.

Special education teacher Kelsey Church said she and her colleagues had a small sensory room they were using that was lacking and didn’t have everything they needed. She decided to spruce the room up with a new paint job and was then encouraged by Assistant Principal Blair Inabinet to apply for a grant to do much more. 

“She suggested we write an Institute for Innovation grant from the Mountain Brook Schools Foundation to create an entirely new sensory room,” Church said. “We got our team together to prepare our ideas to present in front of a panel. We initially did this for our [special education] students but decided this was something all the students at the school could benefit from.”

While researching, the teachers reached out to students and other staff to inquire how they learned best and when students felt most engaged. 

“The responses from the students and teachers were very aligned,” said teacher Sara Katherine Janecky. 

Following their grant presentation, Superintendent Dr. Dicky Barlow told them that this project sounded like a culture piece that could impact the entire school by how teachers and students can utilize these new spaces.

The special education team of teachers was awarded an $11,000 grant from the MBSF, which supplements funding for the schools and provides an outlet for teachers to ask for new and innovative things to add in their classrooms. The bulk of the money will go to the classrooms, but some will be used for professional development for teacher training. 

Teacher Sarah Jackson said one of their goals is to increase student achievement by meeting their social, emotional and behavioral needs so they can be ready to learn. 

“While doing our research, we found the Snoezelen model, which is a Dutch term for rest and exploration,” Jackson said. “While some kids need motivation to get pumped up and ready to learn, others may be hyper or anxious and need help to calm them down to be able to learn.” 

The Snoezelen room will be converted from a conference room and feature a quiet, calm environment that appeals to the seven different sensory systems. It will have controlled lighting, flexible seating, fiber optic curtains, bubble towers and calming effects. Students needing a quiet space to work or think can focus in this room.

The other room was a multi-purpose room with glass windows that will be converted into a movement area featuring sensory-related items like a crash pad to sit or jump on to exert energy. Many teachers at Cherokee Bend are already trained on multi-sensory teaching methods, so they can take those methods and put them into action depending on which room the students need at the time. 

“A big piece of this is not only for behavior modification or preventative type things, but to incorporate multi-sensory tools into learning,” Jackson said. 

While these rooms will be primarily for the students in the special education program, they are available to the entire school of almost 500 students. There will also be sensory boxes in each room for teachers to check out and use in their individual classrooms. 

This concept is becoming popular in not only schools, but also in the workplace. By putting these sensory rooms in place, students can learn to advocate for themselves and in the future be able to speak to their own needs. 

Teacher Lizzie Vansant said her group’s goal is to identify each child’s needs and determine what unmet sensory needs should be addressed. 

“We want to be able to relate with the kids and know what specifically they are in need of in that moment so we can begin being their advocate,” Vansant said. 

The teachers in the special education department hope these rooms strengthen their entire school so children will learn to respect and appreciate different learning styles and give each a sense of confidence in their own learning style. They feel completely supported by their administration.

“They help us to dream and get there,” Jackson said. “Allowing us to write this grant and having the MBSF approve it and have this dream is more than we can ask.