MISSOULA — Chief Charlo School counselor Kelley Donisthorpe is this week’s One Class at a Time grant winner.
KPAX General Manager Bob Hermes and Republic Services Municipal Manager Chad Bauer presented Donisthorpe the $250 award which she will use to buy chimes for her students as part of her “Mind Up” curriculum.
Mind Up uses breathing techniques to encourage self-regulation and mindfulness which helps allow students to assess what’s going on around them before reacting. Donisthorpe says the chimes bring a calming effect.
“The big thing that comes out of this curriculum is that they’re learning to be more responsive rather than reactive and so breathing is a big part of that, and breathing helps with, you know, learning because when you’re breathing, you’re better able to use your brain,” Donisthorpe said.
