Nashwaaksis Middle School

Program Leaders: Jill Johnson

Town: Fredericton

School Name: Nashwaaksis Middle School

Project Name: Welcoming Room / Calming Room

• This project will be to create a room (2 classrooms) that are used as classrooms but also for calming rooms, regulation rooms and rooms where students and staff can go to be at peace. Within the room we will create student / staff art to decorate the walls.

• We will have alternate seating so all students feel a sense of safety and security with their peers and teachers. This room will have music of different ethnic background along with cultural artifacts / music / instruments and other musically driven ways to help students / staff feel at ease. We will begin to create this classroom in Sept and work on it throughout the school year with student input and staff input to keep it as a representation of all within our school.

• This can also be a room that our is meant as an inclusion classroom for use from our Best Buddies program, Beyond the Hurt program and any other clubs, groups and times people need to meet.

• The funds will go to support buying canvas’s and art supplies to beautify the room and have a representation from all cultures within our school.

• We will also use the money to buy some furniture with circular rug and tables to align with the Medicine Circles / Indigenous Circles where it allows all to sit within a team of friends to be together. Oval shaped tables, high desks, benches, scoop chairs would all add to the dynamic of this classroom. 3 rugs would be purchased to allow for students to have floor seating, rocking chairs for regulation, a large piece of Art that is of the World Map, First Nations Art would be created and all brought together to create an environment of inclusion.

• During class times, we would have the room open and accessible that if students of other classes / grades needed a space to work in there would be a chance to be in a more calming environment. We would have local artist visit during the year to help grasp the cultural differences and similiarities in our building along with musicians to help create a place of learning and a place to practice their music.

• At the end of the year we do a showcase of students / staff talents alongside our academic awards. This room would help create ambition and success to feel supported and valued.

• Our goal as a school is to build a few areas in our school that are Welcoming and appropriate for all to feel they belong and have a safe place to spend time in a positive environment. But each year we will start with one area at a time.