Of course there comes a time when we all can use a break. And this year, staff at Gananda Central Schools has a new space that’s aptly called the Relaxation Room.
Made possible with help from the Finger Lakes Area School Health Plan (FLASHP) Wellness Committee, Gananda’s new Relaxation Room opened over the summer and is located in the Richard Mann Elementary School.
Abbe Harbol teaches seventh-grade science at Gananda and was the district’s Wellness Coordinator last year. She helped survey staff in the district, which revealed that weight rooms at the high school and middle school were accessible for staff, leaving no place at the elementary school to tend to wellness either physically or mentally.
“Being a teacher now is more stressful,” said Harbol. “There’s more on your plate these days and a lot of that comes from post-COVID.”
But this room is not just for teachers. It’s open for all staff at Gananda.
“Everybody wears so many hats now,” said Harbol. “Administrators, they’re all on 10 different committees now. There’s just so much to do.”
This is where the Relaxation Room can help.
The room includes two massage chairs, a sound machine for sound therapy, yoga mats, a fountain and literature on the benefits of meditation.
“It’s a place to re-set yourself,” said Harbol.
FLASHP helped cover the cost of the chairs and some equipment in the Relaxation Room and the rest of the items came through staff donations, allowing the entire setup to be done without public funding.