'Chill Zone' helps students cope at B.E. Boudreaux Elem.

Story and Photos by
COLIN MURPHEY
The ceremonial ribbon was cut Tuesday at one area middle school to celebrate the opening of a new resource for educators that should help them and their students cope with behavioral issues when they arise in the classroom.
The opening of the “Chill Zone” at B. Edward Boudreaux Middle School in Baldwin was attended by Principal Magdalene Drexler, other school administration staff and a few representatives of the local business that helped the resource come to fruition. Drexler said a large portion of the credit for helping make the resource a reality should go to the Walmart staff who helped fund the project.
Drexler said the “Chill Zone” will provide a safe place with several options to help students calm down after a behavioral episode. She said the room provides an environment that should allow students and educators to hit the reset button before an issue can escalate into further problems.
“Part of our mission here is to help our students become critical thinkers and problem solvers,” Drexler said. “In order to realize that vision, we have to help our students become self-monitors and self-managers. It’s extremely important. We can’t wait until they get in a crisis. We have to teach them how to assess their feelings. The ‘Chill Zone’ is a space we are using to teach them coping mechanisms.”
The resource includes several different stations where students can utilize everything from physical exercise to soothing music and other methods to try and deal with stress. Drexler said the facility should also help students identify stress “triggers” and hopefully learn what can lead to a behavioral issue before one starts.
“We have to teach our students to know when they are losing control and to know how they are truly feeling to be able to use coping mechanisms and to allow them to think before they react,” Drexler said.