Green Bay schools use grants to help students relax and regulate emotions

GREEN BAY (WLUK) -- More than a dozen schools in the Green Bay Area Public School District received grants to help make their classrooms a more calming place.

Brown County nonprofit Wello awarded $7,637 to 29 teachers and staff across 15 schools in the district Wednesday at a check presentation at Tank Elementary School.

Items purchased with the funds include yoga mats, mindfulness books, stress balls, weighted blankets, calming lighting items, and more that will assist the staff in leading mindfulness practices that can help students regulate their emotions and become more present for learning.

Beth Heller, director of strategic partnerships at Wello, says mindfulness is a life skill that can be used beyond the classroom.

“The reason we focus on mindfulness is because it’s such a comprehensive and important practice. Through mindfulness, we know that we can help kids learn to relax, right, that’s a skill that you need to learn and you know, it’s a hard one to learn these days," she said. "These things make kids more ready to learn and when we think about this, everything that’s good for the kids, is also good for the teachers.”

Wello has worked with the Green Bay Area School District since 2017.