Wilsonville Elementary School’s new sensory room helps special-needs studentsBy Donna CopeDecember 1, 2017

Wilsonville Elementary School's special-education teacher Dana Nave (left) cried tears of joy when she learned that her students would get a new sensory room during theThanksgiving break. In November, several members of the Gaston Chapter of the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) helped construct the school's sensory room forchildren with autism or special needs. Gaston APSO volunteers also improved the school grounds, building a shed and adding canopies to shade the playground benches.(Donna Cope/Alabama NewsCenter)

A new day dawned at Wilsonville Elementary School (http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/schools/wes/)on Nov. 27, when teachers andadministrators unveiled their new sensory room.

Special-education teacher Dana Nave said that the sensory room — provided by the Gaston Chapter of the Alabama Power ServiceOrganization (http://powerofgood.com/apso/)(APSO) — has opened a whole new world for students with autism or special needs, aswell as any student who needs a quiet place to regroup. During the Thanksgiving holiday break, members of Gaston APSO(https://www.facebook.com/APSOECG/)installed new equipment in the school’s sensory room, designed not only to calm students butto help them learn.

Before the redesign, the 12-by-12-foot room contained little equipment. Now, the room includes state-of-the-art gear such as manualdexterity boards, physio balls, a “ready set move” classroom activity set, a concentration rocker, textured pop beads, gel �oor tiles andeven a “cozy cove” where students can relax away from others.

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“Lots of schools don’t have room for a sensory room,” said Nave, a special-education teacher for 14 years before coming to WilsonvilleElementary School in 2017. “Now, with this gift by Gaston APSO, our students have the equipment they need to learn copingmechanisms.

“Sometimes children get overwhelmed in the classroom, and this room helps calm them down until they can return to theclassroom,” Nave said, watching her students at play. “This room is open to the whole school. Some kids function �ne without beingaffected academically, but they have emotional needs, so this provides them a safe space as well.”

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The sensory room will contribute to students’ overall well-being and focusin the classroom. (Donna Cope/Alabama NewsCenter)

Justin Bailey, Maintenance team leader at Gaston Steam Plant (https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Gaston_Steam_Plant), said members ofGaston APSO were thrilled to help Wilsonville Elementary School. As Gaston APSO’s Adopt-a-School, members have assisted the schoolfor more than 10 years. This latest project began when Bailey’s wife, Julie, a teacher’s aide at Wilsonville Elementary School, mentionedthe students’ needs for a sensory room to her husband.

“We’ve been living this for a couple of years,” said Bailey, former presidentof Gaston APSO. “I hear about their struggles.”

Bailey took the school’s needs to members of Gaston APSO’s board, andthey “were off to the races.” The project gelled when KultureCity(https://www.kulturecity.org/), a Birmingham nonpro�t organization,stepped in to provide state-of-the-art equipment. The Gaston Chapter ofthe Energizers (http://powerofgood.com/energizers/) – Alabama Power’scharitable arm for retirees of Alabama Power(https://www.alabamapower.com/), Southern Company Services(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Company_Services)and SouthernNuclear (https://www.southerncompany.com/our-companies/southern-nuclear.html)– donated $2,500. Gaston APSO volunteers provided all the“elbow grease,” giving more than 100 hours of personal time to set up thesensory room and improve the school and its grounds. Volunteers paintedthe sensory room with odor-free, school-approved paint for a soothingenvironment. Plant Gaston volunteers spent a day power-washing theschool’s exterior and painting the hand rails for a fresh, clean look. Theybuilt a storage shed and canopies above playground benches so children can rest in shaded areas.

Wilsonville Elementary School Principal Melody Byrne said she and the teachers are very appreciative of Gaston APSO’s assistance.

“The room will be great for all of the kids,” Byrne said. “I envision children from across our school bene�ting. Sometimes kids come toschool carrying a heavy load.

“Families are in crisis,” she said. “This will be a great outlet for them — it’s a dream come true. We couldn’t have done this without thispartnership with Gaston APSO.”

“It means a lot that we can do things like this,” Bailey said. “It takes a special teacher to do what they do. We get to help the generationsthat come through.”

Melissa Williamson, 2017 president of Gaston APSO Chapter, said the state organization is considering creating similar sensory roomsfor other schools as part of educational efforts.

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