Earle High School to receive grant funding for ‘calming room’

Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield awards one school in all 75 counties

By Ralph Hardin

news@theeveningtimes.com

LITTLE ROCK — It’s the season of giving, and earlier this month, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield announced that 75 schools in Arkansas have been selected to receive $2,500 each to create calming rooms to address the mental well-being of Arkansas students.

The company announced its Take Good Care Calming Room initiative in July and began accepting applications from schools August 1. According to state data, more than 14%, or 83,135 Arkansas children and teens, are dealing with anxiety and depression.

Calming rooms give students a quiet place to reflect and refocus so they can perform their best when they return to the classroom.

“The same way students have difficulty focusing in class when they are hungry or tired, they can’t be their best selves in the classroom or at home if they are dealing with issues like stress and anxiety,” said Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield President and CEO Curtis Barnett. “In recognition of Arkansas Blue Cross’ 75th Anniversary and our company's commitment to improving access to behavioral health resources, we are investing in the creation of calming rooms in 75 Arkansas schools as one way to support better mental health for students.”

Calming rooms provide a space to help students regulate their emotions and often feature items such as:

• Soft lighting

See CALMING, page A3

Photos courtesy of Arkansas BCBS CALMING

From page A1

• Tranquil colors

• Comfortable furniture

• Positive, inspirational messages

• Journals, coloring books and other sensory objects “In addition to improved behavioral health, schools with calming rooms have reported additional benefits such as fewer disciplinary issues and better grades,” Barnett added, referring to a study by the Boston Charter Research Collaborative.

“Young people these days face challenges many of us didn’t have growing up, like cyberbullying. Learning how to cope with difficult things in a healthy way is a tool they can carry with them through adulthood.”

Each school will oversee the rules and usage of their calming rooms based on the needs of their students. The spaces can also be used for counseling sessions and group discussions.

“Arkansas Blue Cross did not receive applications from schools in all 75 counties as initially hoped,” Barnett said, “but we still wanted to fund 75 rooms, so we looked closely at the applications and were able to select additional schools in a few counties.”

Selected from Crittenden County was Earle High School.

Other schools selected to receive calming rooms include: Arkansas County – DeWitt High School Ashley County – Hamburg Middle School Baxter County – Guy Berry College and Career Academy Benton County – Founders Classical Academy, Bentonville Boone County – Harrison High School Bradley County – Warren High School Calhoun County – Hampton Middle School Carroll County – Eureka Springs High School Clark County – Gurdon High School Clay County – Piggott High School Cleburne County – Heber Springs Middle School Cleveland County – Woodlawn Elementary School Colombia County – Apostolic Christian Academy Conway County – Morrilton High School Craighead County – Bay Elementary School Crawford County – Butterfield Trail Middle School Crittenden County – Earle High School Cross County – Wynne High School Dallas County – Fordyce High School Drew County – Monticello High School Faulkner County – Mayflower Middle School Franklin County – Ozark Middle School Fulton County – Salem School District Garland County – Mountain Pine Elementary School Grant County – Sheridan High School Greene County – Paragould Junior/Senior High School Hempstead County – Hope High School Hot Spring County – Bismarck Public Schools Howard County – Nashville Junior High School Independence County – Cedar Ridge High School Izard County – Calico Rock High School Jackson County – Tuckerman High School Jefferson County – Pine Bluff Junior High School Johnson County – Lamar High School Oark High School Lafayette County – Lafayette County High School Lawrence County – Hillcrest Elementary School Lincoln County – Star City High School Little River County – Ashdown High School Logan County – Paris Middle School Lonoke County – Cabot Middle School South Madison County – Huntsville Middle

See CALMING, page A9 CALMING

From page A1

School Marion County – Ozark Mountain School District Mississippi County – Blytheville Chickasaw Preparatory Academy Armorel High School Monroe County – Brinkley High School Montgomery County – Mount Ida High School Nevada County – Nevada Elementary School Newton County – Deer K-12 School Mt. Judea K-12 School Ouachita County – Camden Fairview Middle School Perry County – Anne Watson Elementary School Phillips County – J.F. Wahl Elementary School Barton High School Pike County – Murfreesboro High School Poinsette County – Trumann Middle School Polk County – Mena High School Pope County – Secondary Learning Center, Russellville High School Prairie County – Hazen Public Schools Pulaski County – LR West High School of Innovation Randolph County – M.D. Williams Intermediate School Saline County – Benton Junior High School Scott County – Waldron High School Searcy County – Leslie Intermediate School Sebastian County – Trinity Catholic School Sevier County – Horatio Public School Sharp County – Cave City Middle School Saint Francis County – Palestine-Wheatley Senior High School Stone County – Mountain View School District Union County – Junction City Elementary School Van Buren County – South Side Bee Branch Washington County – Ramay Junior High School White County – Pangburn High School Woodruff County – Augusta Elementary School Yell County – Calico Rock High School

About Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Founded in 1948, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is the largest health insurer in Arkansas. Arkansas Blue Cross and its affiliates have more than 3,300 employees. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is comprised of 34 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans that collectively provide healthcare coverage for nearly 106 million members — one in three Americans.