S3: Making Space for Rest & Recovery
By Amarzaya Chanarerdene, Sisseline Lovejoy, Zoe Maderas, Emalani Perez, & Charlie Winter
A new space has opened its doors at Albany High School. Expanding to room 109A after four years at Albany Middle School, the student success space, or S3 for short, provides students with a place to take a step away from the stress of school and student life.
Deb Brill, the former AMS principal and current Executive Director of Student Services, created S3 at the middle school after noticing that there wasn’t a good space for the many students she saw were struggling mentally, physically, and academically.
“What I wanted was a space that felt different, that didn’t feel like a classroom,” Brill said. “I wanted a space that felt warm and inviting.”
Brill first proposed the idea for a new student space to then Superintendent Val Williams in 2017. When Dr. Frank Wells became superintendent in 2019, he supported the idea, and middle school students began using the space that year.
The program expanded to the high school this year after Wells and principal Darren McNally saw a need for more student support and thought S3 could be as helpful for AHS students. They decided that coordinator Wil Cason, who ran the space at the middle school, would move to the high school because he understood the structure.
Now, S3 is a space where AHS students can learn tools to unwind, process their day, or reset. The room includes different spaces for various activities, including art, a punching bag, games to play, and conversation spaces.
Brill acknowledged that students using S3 to skip class could be a concern, but pointed out that, “If the students are using [S3] to get out of class, there’s a reason they’re trying to get out of class.”
Brill said that while she didn’t want students to be out of class all day, everyone who goes to S3 does so for a reason. Mr. C agreed that it’s important to have safe and supportive spaces in schools so that “students can find healthy and supportive ways to take care of themselves.”
Math teacher Kimberly Velasquez, who previously taught at the middle school, took her Math 1 students to S3 before a test.
“I find that having S3 has really helped my students feel more connected and supported,” Velasquez said. “Whenever it feels like we all need a little more motivation, S3 is a great option to help us all get that boost we need to push through.”
While Velasquez appreciates having S3 to use with her students, many students and teachers don’t know much about the space yet.
Junior Khadija Rauf, who frequently uses S3, said that sometimes “teachers don’t really know what S3 is […] so you have to explain it to them for them to let you go.”
Rauf added that she uses S3 “to just hang out or if you need a person to talk to or if you just need some space.” Rauf and other students enjoy using the space because it’s a change from the regular school day.
The high school already has a mental health office, which provides ongoing therapy, and a counseling office for academic guidance, but S3 provides a different kind of support.
“With S3 you have a little bit of counseling, you have a little bit of mental health, and then also you have a little bit of academic help, and then you have mentoring. S3 is a whole different approach,” Mr. C said.
Although the space is new at the high school, students have started using S3. Anna Stewart, a sophomore who has visited S3 both at the middle school and at the high school, said that though the AHS space is larger, the middle school had a better art set up and felt more familiar.
Stewart explained that she uses the space when she feels overwhelmed and needs a change in her environment, and noted that returning to class and focusing is easier after her time in S3.
“It’s open to everyone when you need it, but don’t use it just to get out of class, because some people really need that space,” Stewart said.
Another sophomore noticed that Mr. C sometimes isn’t there when she visits the space.
“Around 45 percent of the time when I go to S3, it is closed,” sophomore Lila Weber said.
Mr. C has other engagements that limit the time he can devote to S3, including leading mentoring groups, providing leadership to the AMS and AHS Black Student Unions, and running a support and skill building group.
Mr. C also hosts wellness and self-care forums at lunch the first Monday of every month.
“[This] encourages students to develop simple strategies to reduce stress and enhance coping and wellness skills,” he said.
When asked what he wishes AHS students would know about S3, Mr. C said, “S3 is for everybody.”
