These students did not work with Doorstop Education, but they used the same methods we teach: gather evidence, build support, then take action.
Keira Brogan knew what stress and anxiety at school felt like: she had dealt with both herself. At Scranton High School in Pennsylvania, she decided to create a safe space for students.
She found support. Nationally, 42% of high school students said in 2021 that they had felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row. Scranton High’s counselors saw the issue, too: coming out of the pandemic, one said, there was “a very great need for a space like this.”
She got approval. Brogan made the room her Girl Scout Gold Award project, and got approval from the Girl Scouts and from the school to build it.
She raised funding. Brogan asked family and friends for donations, then turned a former office into the calm room: dim, warm lighting, a white-noise machine, comfortable chairs, inspiring quotes on the walls, fidget toys, and a yoga mat.
Room open! When Scranton High students feel stressed or anxious, they can visit the calm room for 10 minutes at a time, and counselors say teachers are receptive when students ask to go. In 2025, the project earned Brogan the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouts.
Want to try it? Ask your school counselors whether students need a space like this (our mental health guide has more ideas), then send your principal an email like this:
- To
- [your principal's email]
- Subject
- A calm room for students at [school]
Hi Mr./Ms./Dr. [Principal's last name],
I’d like to set up a calm room at [school]: a quiet space where students who feel stressed or anxious can take a 10-minute break and then get back to class. [Counselor’s name] thinks it would help, and [an empty room or office] could work.
I can raise the money for [what it needs, e.g. lamps, chairs, and fidget toys]. Would you be open to meeting about it?
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]