The Green Room at Telstar Middle School is a peaceful place where students can go to get themselves under control during the school day. It was created during COVID, and will remain an option for students in the future. Dylan van Buren photo
BETHEL — There is a place of tranquility at Telstar Middle School, and it’s called The Green Room.
Despite the name, it’s not the walls of this room that are green, but a goal that every student who enters strives for.
At TMS, administrators continue to find different ways for students to express and treat their stress and emotions. One strategy is that almost every classroom uses the Zones of Regulation.
These zones are used as a district-wide initiative that provides a shared language for processing students’ emotions.
According to Lindsay Luetje, dean of students, “The decision to use the Zones of Regulation came from the district Resilience Team which is made up of teachers, social workers and administrators in K-12.”
The idea was sparked when Luetje and School Monitor Linda Cozzolino brainstormed different ways to get through the year without a guidance counselor. Luetje said, “What we saw was a helpful tool for kids to ‘get green.’”
Although funding for the Green Room was in response to the stresses students experienced in COVID, the idea for this tranquil space wasn’t, even if COVID did give the idea a little push.
“When COVID hit and we were all back in person with a lot of anxiety about masking, new variants and not having a guidance counselor, I think we have proven that there’s a need for a space where kids can just step away for a bit to collect themselves so they can do their best at school,” Luetje said.
There are four zones: blue, yellow, red and green. If a student is in the blue zone they may be feeling tired, bored, or a little under the weather. If a student is in the yellow zone they typically feel frustrated, worried or a little out of control. When a student is in the red zone they are probably feeling mad, yelling or are all around out of control.
If a student has reached the yellow or red zones they will be given the chance to take an escape to The Green Room. This is where they will begin to calm down or have a second to explain how they are feeling. From there, Cozzolino will do what she can to help the student reach the “green” zone where they feel calm and ready to learn.
The Green Room is located in the middle school main office, in the office originally used by the guidance counselor. The idea for The Green Room will continue in a bigger and more permanent area once the right person is found to take the position of guidance counselor.
In The Green Room students have privacy, but secrets aren’t kept. The Green Room isn’t a counseling session; kids who need support beyond the Green Room will be sent to TMS social worker, Kristen Powel, who maintains confidentiality.
Every student is welcome and encouraged to visit The Green Room every once in a while to get the space and support they need.
At the start of the year, a few students were selected as good Green Room applicants based on past history at school. These students were given a “get green card” which can be shown to substitutes and teachers so they can identify when a kid might need a getaway to The Green Room.
Once the “get green card” is shown there are no questions asked and a mutual understanding is made. Another way a student can be welcomed is if a teacher notices the student isn’t in the green zone and gives them a reminder that it is available if a breather is needed.
And, of course, students are always welcome to ask their teachers if they feel they need additional support.
“The Green Room started as an idea of how we could help students with their issues that they may be having at the moment that they didn’t really need to see a counselor about,” Cozzolino said.
Although she has around 12 regular students, she said, “The Green Room is always open to anyone at any time that needs to use it.”
When a student first enters The Green Room they are asked to look at a zone chart and assess what zone they think they are in. A student then will find a tool to help relax themselves. Some strategies offered include fidget toys, stress balls, therapy putty, going on walks and just simply taking the time to talk about it.
Once a student feels they have reached the green zone, they are asked to re-assess then return to class more ready and focused than before. After each session, data is recorded on a Google form. This form includes the time of day visited and the strategy used to help find the cause or help the student use their coping strategies in their classroom.
Luetje said “our goal is to give all kids a space to catch their breath and help themselves regulate.”
Stress can be an effect of anything from family issues to missing work. No matter the cause, stress impacts both your physical and emotional health.
“Being stressed affects your way of thinking and doing, which then leads to more stress and it becomes a vicious circle,” Cozzolino explained.
The Green Room is a needed option for all students and teachers to help de-escalate any situation before it evolves into something bigger.
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