WORKING TOGETHER: East, Creekside celebrate new sensory rooms

Published 7:00 am Saturday, January 16, 2021

East Limestone High and Creekside Elementary recently hosted ribbon-cuttings for their new sensory rooms, marking one more step in the journey to get sensory rooms available at every school in the county.

Local community members, including volunteers with the Make A Way Foundation, worked together to design and decorate the rooms. Stacey Givens, founder and board president of Make A Way Foundation, previously told The News Courier that she was inspired by the way sensory therapy helped her son to create a way for area schools to provide similar benefits for other students.

The rooms include a variety of equipment and features to help children with special needs express themselves or let off steam without interrupting their classmates or teachers. At Creekside, this includes having a trampoline to jump on, mats to throw themselves into, a swinging chair and bubble lamps that glow and play soothing sounds.

Paint colors, lighting, flooring and how sound travels in the room are all taken into consideration, too.

“These spaces provide what individuals need to return to the classroom in a calm fashion,” Givens said.

Officials met Wednesday at Creekside Elementary and East Limestone High for the ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Limestone County Schools Superintendent Randy Shearouse said having the rooms and having community groups that are willing to help provide such a space for students “says a lot about our caring community.”

“It’s remarkable that we have this type of opportunity,” he said.

Make A Way Foundation has installed similar rooms at each of the city schools, but East and Creekside are the first to open in the county. Through donations and volunteer work, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations hopes to add sensory rooms at other schools soon.

Visit foundationmakeaway.org to learn more about the group’s mission and how to contribute.