Mental health is important and can sometimes get in the way of someone’s work environment. Students deserve mental health breaks. Teachers do too. To give students and teachers some time to breathe, UACHS has added the Zen Den to the school’s community.

A space dedicated to relaxing and lifting stress or anxiety off your shoulders will be useful. This quiet space can help improve the learning environment by letting students know their mental health is as essential as their learning. 

With the school expansion into the other side of the building, the additional space allowed for the creation of the Zen Den.

 For students who are interested in visiting this room, there is a QR code for each grade level that gets a day and they will go during their lunch period. The room will only have a maximum of 12 students and is going based on first come first serve. 

Assistant Dean and Athletic Director Michelle Bruce is responsible for all the ideas put into our Zen Den and is excited to share the space with the students.

“Our initial way we were gonna use the space is that during your lunch periods, you are going to be able to sign up to come in here as an alternative to sitting in the cafeteria,” Bruce said. 

Students are designated a day by grade so freshmen get Mondays, sophomores get Tuesdays, staff get Wednesdays, juniors get Thursdays, and seniors get Fridays. 

Many students voiced confusion when announcing the opening of the Zen Den. Tanaih Simms, a junior at UACHS visited the Zen Den and described her own initial experience. 

 “I felt like it was a nice calm environment, no distractions, no phone use, it is a good distraction,” Simms said. 

Walking in you are met with the sounds of a gentle waterfall and a dim overview of the room. There are clear boxes with key locks that students are responsible for when they put their phones in. A table and chairs are set up against the wall decorated with headphones, iPads, and Samsung tablets. Around the room are different types of seating materials like the egg chair or body chair. There are rocks with positive affirmations laid out across a table in the middle of the room. All this while the lights are dimmed down to set a calm and more serene atmosphere. 

Aside from the calming effects, the Zen Den offers many more interactive activities that deal with emotions and peaceful outlets for students and staff. The room is available for everyone,` make sure to scan the qr code on your specific day.