Editor's Note: This story was reported by Edith Whalen and the accompanying artwork was created by Daniel Kibezi as part of the Fall 2024 Kalamazoo Voices of Youth Program. The program is a collaboration between Southwest Michigan Second Wave and KYD Network in partnership with the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo, funded by the Stryker Johnston Foundation. The Voices of Youth Program is led by Earlene McMichael. VOY mentors for this project were Jane Parikh (writing) and Casey Grooten (art). 

KALAMAZOO, MI — Teacher Samantha DeVries’ classroom at Kalamazoo’s Loy Norrix High School is covered in pillows, bookshelves line the walls, and 23 fun action figures sit on the long windowsill for students to play with. The welcoming environment doesn’t stop there. She has an area she calls her “Cozy Corner.” DeVries says it is the crowning achievement of her room.

“It is not just an idea for an elementary- or middle-school classroom but is something that should be available at all levels for self-regulation of emotions and stress,” says DeVries, who teaches world history. 

Educators like DeVries say it is not uncommon for students to come to class with things on their minds that worry them and it can impede their ability to focus on their studies. So, some teachers like her have taken action through the idea of a “cozy corner” in their own classrooms.

Artist: Daniel KibeziTwenty percent of teens will experience depression by age 17, and 83% of teens will experience at least one traumatic event in adolescence, according to Compass Health Center, a multi-state provider of mental health services on an outpatient and partial hospitalization basis.

DeVries is utilizing the cozy corner concept commonly found in early educational circles, which provides a physical space for students to take a break. In DeVries’ classroom, her special space consists of an inviting, highly cushioned chair parked at a desk, next to which are colorful pillows, some with inspirational sayings. More pillows are scattered below on the blue and white soft area rug. Nearby, on a window ledge, are action figures, including Thor, Harry Potter, Stitch, Frog, and Cactus, among others.

DeVries tells her students they can go to the Cozy Corner at any time they need to center themselves — no questions asked. Some students will put their heads down on the desk while others quietly sit on the rug and lean their heads against the wall. A few students play with the figurines while seated in the chair. 

Samantha Devries, world history teacher at Loy Norrix High School“They are able to be more at ease and comfortable as well as reduce their anxiety,” DeVries says.

DeVries got the idea for a cozy corner from when she was in seventh grade. “My teacher had a place that she called Egypt with a map of Egypt and a comfy spot to sit in. And, if we were feeling anxious, we could go to Egypt,” DeVries says. 

Years later when she became a teacher herself, DeVries started a cozy corner at Chester High School in Chester, South Carolina.  

DeVries says she understands what it is like to have challenges in one’s life. 
In fact, the reason she moved to Kalamazoo was so that she could be with her dying sister.

Artist: Daniel Kibezi
“I’ve even told my students,” DeVries says of her late sister’s illness. “It’s been a struggle.” 

DeVries’ says her experience with grief caused by the death of her sister has made it easier for her to connect with students. She says her mental health struggles have made it easier to relate to what her students may be going through.

Finding other ways to cope

A cozy corner is just one answer for a student who is having a rough day, or ongoing challenges.

Loy Norrix student Tommy LepleyLoy Norrix freshman Rosemary Goldstein says she listens to music to help her focus more on the things she has to do, while Loy Norrix freshman Tommy Lepsy goes to his siblings to talk. Neither of them says they feel as if they can talk to a teacher about what they're dealing with or how they could solve it. 

Rosemary Goldstein, a Loy Norrix studentBut Goldstein says she thinks having a teacher with a cozy corner who knew what she was going through “would help” and give her someone else to talk to. Lepsy agrees. 

“Yeah, I think that would help a lot,” Lepsy says. “It would be a better alternative than just freaking out in my mind like I usually do.”

In addition to the cozy corners available in some classrooms, Loy Norrix also has another space in the school for students to take a break. It is located near the main office and is called “The Quiet Room.”

“We put a lot of pressure on students to be perfect academically,” says Loy Norrix counselor Jocelyn Wright-Newman. 

Wright-Newman says she is all for things like the Cozy Corner, or the Quiet Room, and says she thinks that they can help students “as long as we give them the proper resources they need.”

Jocelyn Wright-Newman, Loy Norrix High School CounselorWright-Newman says, “Part of it is just making it okay to talk about, making it safe to talk about, how people are feeling, to make sure that we all know how to be good listeners for other people when they are sharing concerns. 

“This school, it's a lot of people in one place, and rough days can feel kind of overwhelming, so I think that It can be nice to have a place for people to take a break, whether that's in a classroom or somewhere else,” Wright-Newman says.

Edith Whalen, the writer, is a freshman at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Whalen likes to read, watch movies, and hang out with friends.

Daniel Kibezi, the artist, is 13 years old and is an 8th grader at Milwood Middle School. Daniel strives to do well in school.

Artist Statement: My project is about how mental health affects students in school. I thought about different ways the topic can impact us negatively, but I focused on how we can help each other. My art shows how a helping hand can sometimes be all that people need. I used dye and clothing provided by my mentor to create this piece. I also used bleach to paint words on the hoodie.

I love how impactful art can be to show problems and opportunities for growth in society. I feel that wearable artwork is a great way to bring out the power and meaning in my artwork. Growing up, I felt like words in artwork were underrated, but showing the power in this would fulfill one of my goals.