Students and teachers at Mountain View Elementary School have a new resource to help boost student success.

Mountain View’s new sensory room was a welcomed surprise for teachers when they returned from summer break, and they are already seeing the positive impact on their students. 

The new “amazing” space was made possible thanks to the generous contributions of a former Mountain View PTA president and long-term school parent. Sponsoring the sensory room provided Inez Finch a way to give back to the school community that had been part of her family’s life for nearly two decades. 

Ms. Finch teamed up with Piedmont Church to make sure Mountain View was able to add a space equipped with a variety of tools to help regulate students’ sensory needs, ultimately enhancing their ability to learn and thrive in the classroom. Mountain View is the 39th sensory room Piedmont Church has installed in Cobb County. Some of the other sensory rooms Piedmont has equipped include Shallowford Falls Elementary School, Rocky Mount Elementary School, Baker Elementary School, and Chalker Elementary School, and more are in the works. 

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Mountain View’s new sensory room, Ms. Finch's heart warmed as she watched students discovering and enjoying the calming space.

“It was amazing,” she said. 

The sensory room is divided into three areas, so teachers are able to meet the individual needs of their students. 

The wake up your body area is designed to energize students who might need a boost to get going in the morning. Through movement-based activities, students can engage in exercises that help them wake up and prepare their minds and bodies for the day ahead.

For students who benefit from deep pressure stimulation, teachers will direct them to the pressure area where the equipment provides the comforting support they need. 

If students need to unwind and relax, the resting area gives them a quiet place to go. 

Each area is equipped with visual choice boards, allowing students to select activities that best meet their unique needs, whether they benefit most from calming activities or need wake-up activities to feel more energized and alert. This personalized approach empowers the students to take charge of their sensory regulation. 

“They love it! They love the colors. They love the lights. The water towers have been amazing,” shared Mountain View Special Education teacher Hannah Medhurst. 

The students enjoy their visits to the sensory space, and their teachers are seeing the benefits afterwards. 

“It helps us because we can actually give them the correct input so they can better learn. If they are all dysregulated, it is difficult for us to do our job and teach them, and it is hard for them to learn. We help regulate them [in the Sensory room], so they can come back in the classroom ready to learn,” Ms. Medhurst explained.