Teacher: Kristin Selby

School: Steamboat Springs Middle School

Website: https://ssms.steamboatschools.net/

Address: Steamboat Springs Middle School

Grade Level: 6th Grade SPED Resource

Region: Northwest

Project Title: Chairs for Sensory Needs

Category: Supporting Special Populations (English Language Learners, Special Needs Students, Gifted Education)

Funding Amount Requested: $1,915

Project Description:
I am a special education teacher at Steamboat Springs Middle School in rural, mountainous Northwest Colorado. Our school has approximately 450 students in grades 6-8. I have seventeen 6th grade students with mild to moderate disabilities in my classroom for daily support and literacy intervention time. Many of my students have difficulty with attention and focus, requiring sensory input to engage in instruction and learn effectively. Currently, I only have hard chairs that do not move. It would be wonderful to have student sensory rocking chairs in my classroom to meet the sensory needs of my students.

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Impact:
The Steamboat Springs Middle School is located in the Rocky Mountains in the northwest corner of Colorado. Our students live active lives outside the classroom, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, swimming, and hiking. At SSMS, our mission is to nurture and educate all children to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. Through positive relationships, we create an inclusive environment where students thrive. My role is to nurture and support students with disabilities. We have a full inclusion model in Colorado where my students participate in the general education classroom as well as small groups for academic support and interventions.

Sensory rocking chairs would greatly benefit my students with ADD and ADHD, who struggle with sitting still for long periods, focusing on tasks, and paying attention in class. Movement has been shown to increase blood flow to the brain and boost neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, which support attention, alertness, and focus. Sitting in hard, immovable chairs can lead to behavior problems, lack of task completion, and disruptions to the learning environment. My goal is to meet the sensory needs of my students so they can stay on task and feel a sense of accomplishment. These chairs would be lightweight and easy to transfer to other classrooms if needed, supporting the accommodations in their IEPs.

Use of Funds:
I am requesting funds to purchase nine sensory rocking chairs for my SPED Resource classroom. Each chair costs $212.77, and the total for nine chairs is $1,915.00. If I were unable to get the full amount, I would purchase fewer chairs. The chairs are available in Kelly Green and Yellow and are Greenguard Safe and comfortable for classrooms, providing moderate sensory motion.