A space that students and staff at the Pleasant Hills Middle School go to handle everyday stress will soon be upgraded thanks to a recent donation.

Clearview Federal Credit Union announced during the grand opening of its new financial center in Pleasant Hills on Jan. 26 that it will put $20,000 toward the school’s Chill Room, part of the Allegheny Health Network's Chill Project, a mindfulness program for schools that Pleasant Hills Middle helped pilot in August 2019.

The program uses mindfulness-based exercises to equip students, teachers and parents with a common language and universal skills to identify, discuss and react positively to stress. According to the Mayo Clinic, mindfulness can include a type of meditation in which one is focused in on what they’re sensing and feeling in the moment.

Founded and directed by William Davies, Ed.D., The Chill Project has expanded to all five brick-and-mortar schools in the West Jefferson Hills School District and more than 30 others in Western Pennsylvania.

The Chill Room is open throughout the day. Students may visit at any time to speak privately with counselors or simply take a few moments of quiet reflection before they resume their normal schedules.

More than 100 of the school's 830 students visit on a regular basis.

Chill Project counselor Shelly Meier said students come to the space for a myriad of reasons, from having a fight with family or a friend to having trouble with school.

“The room is comfortable for them to just talk about things,” she said.

There, students are also encouraged to show kindness to the outside world, a notion highlighted during the district's Random Acts of Kindness Week, which ran Feb. 12-16.

Eighth-grader Ben Galluppi, 14, of Pleasant Hills, said he goes there to rid himself of angry and negative thoughts, while classmate Jackson Siler, 13, of Pleasant Hills, visits to get a handle on his anxiety after taking a test.

“It's a nice way to have a quieter environment,” Jackson said.

Sixth-grader Aubrey Janicki, 11, of Jefferson Hills, and seventh-grader Emily Myers, 13, of Pleasant Hills, both enjoy meeting with friends there for lunch.

Emily also said the problem-solving skills she has learned during her time in the Chill Room have also been helpful at home.

Principal Dan Como and district superintendent Janet Sardon are enthusiastic supporters.

“Data shows when they leave, kids have less anxiety,” Sardon said.

First Published: February 20, 2024, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: February 21, 2024, 7:53 p.m.