This time of year can be very stressful for many students and Worthington Kilbourne now has a new and improved place where they can go to catch a breath and be capable of refocusing. Staff and students have had access to the calm cafe in the past but now that construction has renovated the school, the calm cafe is a growing positive environment that is highly beneficial. It is a new space designed for students to support their mental health and provide a peaceful break from everyday stress.
The calm cafe is ran by our mental health specialists, Ms. Walsh and Mrs. Kabealo. When talking to them, I asked why it was important for them to bring this outlet to our school and Mrs. Walsh informed, saying: “The calm cafe was an idea that counselors and mental health specialists saw work very well in other high school environments and provided a space for students to connect with their counselors/mental health specialists if needed.”
Our Worthington Kilbourne staff cares very deeply about the well being of all the students here and the calm cafe is a perfect example of how much our school does for us. The calm cafe is located downstairs across from the entrance of the lunch line and is available for students to use every Wednesday during all lunch periods (3rd through 6th). When talking to Ms. Walsh, we talked about several benefits, but mainly highlighting that the calm cafe is there to give students a break, “I think that it gives students easy access to mental health help if needed. It gives students a chance to have a quieter place to sit instead of the loud commons and if students also have an off period they are capable of coming down to decompress and be in a calmer environment.” The level of care our staff has taken for us is something that all of our students should recognize and appreciate.
Mrs. Kabealo and Ms. Walsh have gone out of their way to further advocate for this space
and have helped transform it over the years. Not only do the students appreciate the dedication, but so does the staff and funding team. “Ms. Walsh was also capable of reaching out to PTO and they helped with funding to provide some new resources and activities. We would love for consistency and participants to continue to improve so we can continue to share this environment with more of our students here,” said Mrs. Kabealo. The further funding from PTO allowed for them to make this space more intentional as well. In the calm cafe, they have set up stations where students are can use: daily affirmations, fidgets, beads/bracelet making, coloring, essential oils, and self care worksheets.
Students are encouraged to go check out the calm cafe during their off periods and lunch. Going to the calm cafe can even allow them to see friends they may not normally get to see. Both Mrs. Kabealo and Ms. Walsh wants to remind students of the support they have here at Kilbourne, finally stating, “[The calm cafe] does not need to always be school focused, it is there to provide a space for what students need, and just overall it is a very organic, authentic environment.”
