LETHBRIDGE – Two brand new sensory rooms were unveiled at Nicholas Sherran Community School on Wednesday.
Vivint Gives Back teamed up with the school to do a complete overhaul of the rooms used by students with special learning disabilities, who can’t learn in a regular classroom.
Employees from the home security company spent two full days remodelling and installing sensory objects for the children.
A list of student needs was given to the organization, but the finished project was kept a secret until the unveiling.
“For me that is always the best part,” said Vivint Gives Back Director Holly Mero-Bench. “To see just the joy on the kids’ faces when they walk in and see something as simple as a wood xylophone because they love music.”
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“It’s just the joy that for me is overwhelming and it’s why we do what we do.”
One of the rooms is equipped with basic life skills learning tools, like a fully-operational kitchen and dinner table. The other is used for more basic classroom learning with desks and chalkboards.
“It’s going to be an awesome learning opportunity for the students to have brand new, sleek, clean and new, renovated rooms,” said learning support teacher Nadia Britton. “All of our students have severe or significant learning needs and for them to have this kind of a space is huge.”
Each room has special lights, textures, and sounds for the children’s sensory needs, which care worker Melanie Hill said is crucial for students like Teigan.
“She doesn’t sit well in a desk, so things like that make a big difference for her day,” added Hill.
Mero-Bench said the employees were happy to give back to the community that they’re a part of, and that this school was perfect for the project.
“Our focus is kids that have an intellectual disability. So, we knew we were coming to Lethbridge and we looked for a special education program that was awesome. Nicholas Sherran fit the bill,” said Mero-Bench.
Britton said she was overwhelmed with emotion seeing the generosity of those in the community.
“To have these people come and give up their time and their energy and their money is a true blessing and it makes me tear up just a little bit.”
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