Students at Carver High School have repurposed a classroom on campus as a space focused on mindfulness. There, students practice yoga, meditation, breathing and talk about their feelings.
It comes at a crucial time — several students were victims of community violence this year. And their classmates have had to carry that grief with them through the halls, at their desks and on the field.
In “The Restoration Room,” students learn to cope.
'Just Breathe'
Ahmad Arnold, 17, stood in the center of the big, open classroom, leading a group of teenage boys in breathing exercises.
The students formed a circle around him, sitting cross-legged on yoga mats. As instructed, they took deep breaths in and exhaled together.
This is the Restoration Room at Carver High School. The name is drawn on the chalkboard walls, along with motivational quotes born out of the teens’ sessions, like “No Judgment,” “Positivity in our Progress” and “Just Breathe.”
After their third exhale, Principal Thyais Maxwell took over to lead them in a visualization meditation.
”You’re gonna close your eyes, and you’re going to envision your peaceful place," Maxwell said.
One student imagined a warm cabin that smelled like cinnamon. Another was on a boat, floating along calm, cool waters. Maxwell told them that in times of stress, they can come back to this visualization to calm down.
It’s one of the many coping skills students have learned since starting the group in November. Senior Jaydan Gause-Hughes shared his favorites.
“When I’m stressed, or anything, I breathe," he said. "That’s helped a lot. And I know that I can talk to y’all. I know y’all just there. So I love y’all for that, for real.”
This has been a hard year for Carver. Three students died between July and October. Another three were shot — one was a basketball player who returned to school with a colostomy bag.
These instances of community violence cast a shadow over the whole school. Students walked through the halls in tears.
The weight of all that prompted four young men to ask Maxwell for help. They wanted to create a safe space in the building to meet and talk about how this was affecting them. She remembers how she felt that day.
“I try not to cry when I talk about my children, it was pride. I mean, I love them so much, and they live extremely difficult lives.”'
Overcoming challenges
Carver is located in northeast Winston-Salem, which has some of the highest levels of poverty in the city. The area is also considered a food desert. And in the last six months, there have been 47 assault and weapons-related incidents within a mile of the school.
Maxwell says all of these issues pose challenges for students. But they can be overcome with the right support.
“We went from over $1 million in scholarships to almost $2.3 million in scholarships. Our graduation rate is the highest it's been in 10 years," she said. "When you're intentional about having high expectations, and you set them up for that success, that happens.”
Like the Restoration Room. Social Worker James Transou says the group has come even farther than he expected.
“Four years ago, they were slamming doors, walking out the building, punching lockers," he said.
Now, they talk about their feelings and know how to ask for support.
That kind of vulnerability isn’t easy — especially when it goes against traditional ideas of masculinity.
Transou says their example has even helped him open up. He didn’t use to be a hugger, but now it’s part of the culture.
“It's times where they come in the building, they already crying, and they just automatically hug us," Transou said. "And this is one of those, like we embrace it, because at the same time we're hurting too.”
Brotherhood
Most of the students in this group are graduating this year. Toward the end of their session, they talked about having just a few months left and feeling nervous about leaving high school.
But the conversation had the lone sophomore in the group, Tristan Morehouse, tearing up. Graduation brought up a different fear for him — losing the friends he’s made here.
“As soon as I got here, they were there for me, but now they’re just leaving," Morehouse said.
His words hung in the air for just a moment. Then the seniors chimed in with encouragement, saying next year, it’ll be his turn to take some underclassmen under his wing. This is a brotherhood. Then Principal Maxwell gave an order.
"Y'all go give Tristan some love," she said.
The students jumped up from their mats, and ran over to Morehouse, tackling him to the floor. They laughed, cheered and nearly smothered him.
Soon, Morehouse began to wipe his tears.
The students might still be nervous about the future, but they know that if they need to, they can always take some deep breaths, envision a peaceful place, or call any one of their friends from this group — they’ll understand.
