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Wilson Borough – Easton, PA –2/12/2024
The Wilson Area Partners in Education Foundation (WAPEF) has collaborated with Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania (Magellan Healthcare) as their primary sponsor to create and install sensory hallways into four schools within the Wilson Area School District.
A ‘sensory hallway’ or ‘path’ is a series of guided movements for children to follow, shown by markings on the ground and or walls. As students follow the path and complete the movements, they expend excess energy and develop their gross motor skills- often resulting in reduced stress and increased mental focus in the classroom.
“We are pleased to offer our support for this school-based initiative within the Wilson Area School District. It is exciting to be a part of a project focused on creating positive experiences for children, while helping to reduce any stigma associated with behavioral health.” said Tom Walker, senior account executive for Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania.
“The sensory hallway project has been on the wish list for our school counselors, and it was Magellan Behavioral Health who brought it to life in amazing fashion”, noted Scott Barr, President of the Wilson Area Partners in Education Foundation. “This project will impact hundreds of Wilson students on a daily basis, [fitting] perfectly into the strategic initiatives of WAPEF.”
An age-appropriate design was installed in each of the three Wilson Area elementary schools late last year. Most recently, a custom design of the district’s ‘Warrior Values’ has been installed in the Wilson Area Intermediate School for students to interact with. “The kids at Wilson Borough have made great use of the sensory hallway” said Morgan Coates, guidance counselor at Wilson Borough Elementary School. “They enjoy using it on their way to class, and teachers will use it as a movement break for all of their students. It has also taught them about deep breathing, yoga poses, balancing, and counting. We are very grateful to have this as a tool for our students.”
WAPEF and Magellan Healthcare have teamed up with the Easton Area Chamber of Commerce (EACC), proud partner of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce (GLVCC), to invite the public into Wilson Area Intermediate School (2400 Firmstone Street) to celebrate this new addition and see its benefits firsthand. The ribbon cutting celebration will commence on Thursday February 22nd, 2024, from 3:15-4:15pm. All are welcome to attend to see the new installment and enjoy light refreshments in the space.
To learn more about the upcoming ribbon cutting, and to register for the event, please visit http://tinyurl.com/EACC-WAPEF-RC
About the Wilson Area Partners in Education Foundation: WAPEF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure the highest level of educational innovation supporting students, faculty, and staff with community involvement in a partnership of lifelong learning. Since 2005, they have allocated over $275,000 to support projects, programs and experiences which enhance the educational journeys of Wilson area students in grades K -12.
For more information, visit www.WAPEF.org.
Follow WAPEF on Facebook and Instagram @wilsonpartnersined.
About Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania, Inc: for more than two decades, Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania, inc. has been managing behavioral health services for HealthChoices members. During this time, Magellan Healthcare has worked closely with its current partners—Bucks, Cambria, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Northampton counties. Magellan Healthcare is proud of the innovative efforts that have helped to increase access to care, improve service use rates, expand the continuum of services and alignment with evidence-based models, and maximize clinical appropriateness and quality services.
For more information visit www.MagellanofPA.com
About the Chamber: The mission of The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce is to improve the economy and quality of life in the Lehigh Valley Metropolitan Area. We accomplish this through business-to-business networking events and marketing products, affinity programs and exclusive, money saving member benefits, training programs, government affairs initiatives and public policy advocacy, and community development enterprises. With 5,000 members who employ more than 200,000, the Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top ten nationwide.
To learn more about the Chamber, please visit www.lehighvalleychamber.org/.
INFORMATION PROVIDED TO TVL BY:
Caitlin Hamlin
