Press Release: 10/23/2025
Clark makes room for student mental health
BY MELISSA LYNCH ’95, MSPC ’15
OCTOBER 23, 2025
Mosakowski Institute collaborates with local school on innovative space
Bubble tube lights that smoothly change color. The sound of a burbling brook. Calming images projected onto a wall. A soft, contoured rocking chair with a weighted blanket.
They are part of a sensory immersion room where distressed students can decompress, calm themselves, and learn how to manage their behavior. The room was unveiled at a Oct. 17 ribbon-cutting ceremony at Southbridge (Mass.) High School to celebrate this partnership between Clark’s Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise and Southbridge Public Schools under the Southbridge CARES initiative.
During the event, Southbridge CARES Project Manager MiKayla Dotson ’23 encouraged visitors to explore the sensory immersion room. Southbridge students were on hand to demonstrate the state-of-the-art technology in action.
The Southbridge CARES partnership is funded by a Synergy Grant from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts.
Nadia Ward, executive director of the Mosakowski Institute, said that she and Aaron Haddock, director of behavioral health initiatives and programs, first started talking about this type of room 10 years ago, before either of them came to Clark — “a calming space for young people where they could actually find a minute to exhale and learn some breathing exercises and other techniques to help manage their behavior in the classroom and among their peers.”
Nadia Ward
Ward oversaw the opening of a sensory immersion room at the Solnit Children’s Center in East Windsor, Connecticut, in 2021. The Southbridge room is the first of its kind in Massachusetts.
“We are so excited to be in this partnership with the Southbridge Public Schools. The relationship that we have with this district has been seamless. They have welcomed us with open arms,” she said. “There were already good things happening here at Southbridge, so it made our integration into this school seamless.”
Southbridge High School Principal Stefania Doucette noted that in collaboration with the Southbridge CARES initiative and the Mosakowski Institute, the school adopted a “trauma-informed” approach to student support that includes rigorous training for teachers and raising expectations for students “so that they can have choice over their life outcomes.”
The Mosakowski Institute’s work has had a direct impact on students, Doucette insisted. She said the school has had half as many student suspensions this year as last year, and the attendance rate has also improved.
“Regular attendance is essential for student success,” Southbridge Superintendent William Metzger said. “Being in school every day ensures that students have access to consistent instruction, opportunities to engage with peers and teachers, and the resources they need to meet academic and social-emotional goals.”
In Massachusetts, 36% of youths age 17 or younger report experiencing at least one form of trauma, abuse, or significant stress, Metzger said, and in the past year, nearly 14% have reported multiple exposures. “Students facing these challenges are at risk for chronic absenteeism in many cases, further compounding issues connected to their mental health.”
Amanda Hellyar, district director for State Sen. Ryan Fattman; Southbridge High School Principal Stefania Doucette; Southbridge Superintendent William Metzger; and State Rep. John Marsi
Joseph Corazzini, vice president for government and community relations at Clark, said Southbridge CARES is an example of what can happen when research innovation and community partnership come together.
“At Clark, we believe in using scholarship to drive positive, tangible change in our communities. The sensory immersion room perfectly embodies our mission to translate research to real-world impact. We know that when students feel safe, calm, and supported, they’re better able to learn, and that is what this partnership stands for. This initiative is not just a resource — it’s a living laboratory for innovation, behavioral health, and education.”
Southbridge High School counselors started working with students in the sensory immersion room at the beginning of September. In that time, Ward said, there have been significant gains: The counselors themselves feel more relaxed in the space; fewer students are being removed from the classroom for behavioral reasons; and young people who had struggled to get to school on time are arriving early to spend time in the room.
