Teacher Appreciation Week in Paradise

Today’s guest-post is written by Abby Sprau, a teacher for Denver Public Schools. I’m thrilled she agreed to share this room makeover she did, especially since it’s Teacher Appreciation Week and she’s an educator herself. Thanks for all you do for kids, Abby, and for giving these teachers a much-deserved work oasis!

Hi Rural Route Raised readers! My name is Abby and I am Kelsey’s cousin-in-law (but mostly friend- shoutout to my cousin Tate for picking a good one). You might remember a few years ago when Kelsey featured the Zen Den room I redid for a project in my role as “Wellness Champion” in Denver Public Schools. In this role, I’m able to do lots of fun activities at my school centered on staff wellness, but I’d have to say my favorite opportunity as Wellness Champ is the ability to apply for something called a mini-grant. Mini-grant funds can be used for a variety of different things for different schools and sites in DPS, but I have chosen to update rooms in my school for both of the grants I have received.

The first mini-grant makeover is the Zen Den Kelsey featured a few years ago, and I just completed my second mini-grant this year. For this mini-grant, I applied to revamp a small room in the main office area of my school that was previously used as a sort of catch-all junk room. (If you know me, you know how I felt walking by that space every morning… *shudders*)

The main focus of the “new” room would be lockers where our amazing paraprofessionals can lock up their belongings. The nature of the para job has these lovely ladies rotating all over to different classrooms in the building as well as covering lunchroom and recess duty both indoors and out, so they don’t really have a “home base” to store their purses, coats, etc. Many of the paras were just leaving their purses in our staff lounge. I wrote the grant with having a secure storage space for them as the focus, and, secondarily, integrating a coffee cart and quiet space for all of our staff members to enjoy.

I was lucky enough to receive the mini-grant and quickly set off on ordering the materials to create this calming space. I also came up with a pretty great name for the room instead of staff members referring to Zen Den 1 and Zen Den 2 or Upstairs Zen Den and Downstairs Zen Den. The previous (upstairs) room remains the Zen Den and this new room is called…. Paradise.

SEE WHAT I DID THERE?

When designing a space (whether for school or for home), I always try to fill in the big items first and then select small items and accessories after I see the big items in place, whether that’s mapped out on paper and pencil or actually physically putting the items in place. I am FAR from a designer, so I’m not sure if that’s the “right” way of doing things, but it’s helpful for me to map out the space from largest to smallest. This generally works cost-wise as well. I make sure I have the budget for the bigger/more important items and then prioritize the smaller pieces after that. This is much, MUCH more fun when I am using budget money from DPS’ pocket rather than from my own, by the way!

Once again, the main focus of the room was the secure space for the paras’ personal belongings, and I selected these lockers for that. Other large items I wanted to use in the space included three of these massage chairs, this mini refrigerator, and these two coffee carts. After these larger/more expensive functional pieces of furniture, I ordered the larger and pricier aesthetically pleasing items- two of these faux olive trees, this 3-piece framed art set, and these smaller botanical art pieces that I just laminated and put on a kind of random bulletin board in the room.

After these items were in place, I was able to fill in with smaller items. I included some small table lamps and side tables between the massage chairs, and the coffee carts are filled with this hot and cold coffee maker (note: the iced coffee doesn’t come out very cold; you have to put it over a cup of ice…not sure I’d recommend it for purchase!), some flavored syrups and a frother. I included this tea kettle, this tea organizer, and these assorted teas. For some fun decor on the coffee carts, I added these plants as well as some votives with rechargeable tealights. I also added a digital clock so staff can keep an eye on the time while they unwind. One other addition that has gotten rave reviews from staff are these 3-in-1 chargers in between the massage chairs. They aren’t much to look at, but they add some much-needed practicality to the space. In addition to all the items in the original junk room, I was able to purchase this 12-in-1 toaster oven/air fryer, etc. that has been a really great addition to our staff lounge.

Overall, the project has been well-received by all the staff members. I am required to gather testimonials from staff members about my Wellness Champion work, and you can read some snippets of reviews specifically related to PARAdise below…

*The most amazing thing that happened because of her hard work is that we now have a beautiful room with a coffee/tea bar and massage chairs that we call Paradise.

*One project specifically that stands out is Abby’s amazing transformation of our new “paradise.” The addition of this zen den has provided a cozy and restful space where staff can relax even if it is just a minute or two. The keurig is great for the days where I am dragging and need an extra pick me up! I am beyond grateful for our wellness champ!

*One of my favorite benefits of having a wellness champion is the rooms Abby has decorated and created to give staff a quiet comfortable place where we can decompress and relax. Abby recently created a beautiful room for staff to relax called “Paradise”. It has been an absolute paradise and much-needed calm area in our school

*This year Paradise opened in the office area, a place that normally was a catch-all room that no one really used. Now, it is a beautiful zen area where paras have a secure place to lock their belongings and everyone can enjoy a place to rest and reset.

*I have personally enjoyed the paradise and the Zen Den rooms because it gives me a chance to take my breaks and to relax or to simply take 5 min breather out of my day when I have had a really stressed day! Is just a little getaway place to enjoy myself and have some peace and quiet time. Love our coffee and tea section because I can treat myself anytime! The massage chairs are definitely a plus and much needed when it comes to relaxing!

*The Paradise is certainly a wonderful gift to our staff. It looks so beautiful, inviting, comfortable, and it is the perfect place for a break and a cup of tea. Our Wellness Champion has also provided us with a relaxing room upstairs with two massage chairs in a pleasant, sunny room decorated with mini plants and lights. Thank you so much for thinking of us, for providing the space and the activities, and for reminding us of the importance of taking care of ourselves!

Thanks to Kelsey for highlighting teachers during Teacher Appreciation week and, mostly, thanks to all the educators out there. I see you!