When Kent and Maria Phippen came to visit their son John at Farmington Junior High School last fall, they stepped into what was called the school’s sensory room. They were underwhelmed by what they saw.
The room was furnished with old, second-hand furniture and lacked many of the resources that could help students with sensory needs regulate themselves and return to learning.
“We just had a feeling like something needed to be done,” Kent said. “And we figured, why can’t we be the ones to take the initiative and try to make something happen here?”
That question started a community fundraising effort to transform the space into a dedicated sensory room for students in special education.
The Phippens said that students with special needs can sometimes be overlooked simply because they represent a smaller portion of a school’s population. They wanted to find a way to make sure those students had a space designed specifically to meet their needs.
Kari Mathis, one of the school’s special education teachers, said that when asked how parents can contribute to the classroom, she usually responds with snacks, Clorox wipes and other simple things.
But the Phippens encouraged her to think bigger.
“They encouraged me to dream big,” Mathis said.
Mathis eventually described her vision for transforming an otherwise ordinary classroom into a true sensory space. The Phippens set a fundraising goal of $50,000, which, to the surprise of many, they reached within about a month. They continued receiving donations and eventually raised $130,000.
“It was really cool to see everybody jump on board,” Kent said. “There was no question about, can we do this? It was a yes, we will try to make this happen and we will do it. We want to be a part of this.”
The project also became a partnership between the family, the school, district personnel and local businesses, which helped provide donated and discounted materials for the new room.
“It’s a rare thing to have a family come see a need that a school has, and not just help with the donating and the fundraising of money, which is amazing unto itself,” said Farmington Junior High School Principal Michael Archibald.
“They went above and beyond,” he continued. “They helped plan out the design of the room. They helped pick out furniture in the room. They met with teams of district personnel, occupational therapists and the special education team.”
The finished room now includes swings, a climbing wall, a sensory pod, tactile activities, visual stimulation and spaces where students can find quiet and deep-pressure input.
“This is a room to be proud of,” Archibald added.
For John’s parents, the impact was especially clear when they saw their son enter the new room. Normally, he wants to leave with his parents when he sees them at school. This time, he walked right past them to explore the new space.
“To have a space like that and to see a change in him is really spectacular,” Maria said.
The family hopes the project will inspire other schools and communities to support students whose needs can sometimes be overlooked and that it can serve as a springboard for others to think about what they can do for students with sensory needs.
“Small things can make a big difference,” Kent said. “Oftentimes we just need to ask and say, what do you need and how can we help.”