Through conversations with Dr. Wasonga during our planning phase and drawing on one of our co-founders’ experiences teaching at JAMS in 2022, we learned that many students have experienced significant trauma before arriving at the school. While counseling services are available in some hospitals across Kenya, mental health support within school settings is often limited or entirely absent. The stigma surrounding emotional struggles can also prevent students from seeking help, even when it’s urgently needed. As one local educator noted, “The girls face trauma, and they just learn to carry it.” Dr. Wasonga shared that when some students become overwhelmed, they sometimes retreat to an empty room on campus just to scream or cry.

Because we believe school libraries should serve the whole child, we knew that our library plan for JAMS had to include a Calming Corner—a dedicated space designed to support students’ mental health and self-regulation. With the help of our generous donors, we filled the space with a variety of tools and resources: meditation cards, coloring books, bubble timers, fidget tools, liquid tiles, and more.

Just moments after the Calming Corner was set up near the front of the library, several students stopped by to observe our progress. They were immediately drawn to the space but stood quietly among the items on display, unsure of what to do next. We took time to explain the purpose of the Calming Corner, how it could support them, and how to use the different items. We encouraged them to explore everything. To help normalize the experience, we shared how we use similar tools in our own lives and how they’ve benefited our students back home. Given that this week is their national exams week, we know stress and anxiety are running high, so we hoped this would help them navigate this pressure.

Once the students understood how valuable the tools could be, they were all in; they colored the large poster on the wall, stepped on the liquid tiles to watch the swirling colors, and sorted small colored beads in the magnetic puzzles. They smiled. They laughed. They worked together.

Since its opening, the Calming Corner has continued to be one of the most popular areas in the JAMS library. Students return to the space not only during moments of overwhelm, but also during breaks and after school; they are drawn by the sense of safety, curiosity, and calm it offers. Observing them using the space with comfort and confidence is a powerful reminder that mental health support doesn’t have to be complex to be meaningful; it just needs to be accessible, intentional, and rooted in care.

We hope this Calming Corner becomes a model for what’s possible in school libraries everywhere—places where healing, learning, and joy can happen side by side.