Room to Grow

By Mark Loehrke
Appears in the July 2024 issue.

D131’s new center offers something for everyone

East Aurora School District 131 recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting for its Resilience Education Center (REC), a new learning facility designed to focus on mental health services, social wellness, and college and career readiness. High school juniors and seniors can take advanced industry-level elective classes in art, music, broadcast journalism, dance, yoga, gaming, coding, and culinary arts at the REC, while seventh through 10th graders can choose from a variety of after-school activities hosted by the district staff and other community partners. The center also features weekend programming for parents and families with young children, as well space for private individual and group counseling services. “This space was born out of conversations with middle and high school students answering the ultimate question—what activities would make you put down your cellphone?” says superintendent Jennifer Norrell. “Students gave very specific answers, and that is what we built.”

Photo: East Aurora School District 131