Viewmont Excessive opens useful resource middle for college kids experiencing homelessness

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BOUNTIFUL — Norse mythology defines Valhalla as heaven — a spot of honor, glory and happiness.

For the Vikings of Viewmont Excessive Faculty, Valhalla was an apparent moniker for his or her newly opened pupil middle, which is able to present very important assets to college students experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.

The varsity held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday to have fun the opening of the brand new pupil middle, Valhalla.

“We all the time speak about how these facilities assist our most weak college students. That features those that are with out enough housing and those that would possibly simply want one snack, one time,” stated Zach Wheatley, middle coordinator. “I feel that once they know the way a lot assist is behind their opposed conditions … that ripple impact goes to final for years.”

The middle will present college students house on the faculty the place they’ll bathe, wash garments, prepare dinner a scorching meal and entry quiet examine and rest rooms. Moreover, it should present hygiene kits, meals and different assets essential to pupil success.

“The Valhalla Scholar Heart is greater than only a constructing. It’s a image of hope, resilience and compassion for our college students experiencing disaster,” stated Jodi Lunt, director of the Davis Schooling Basis. “We’re humbled by the kindness and generosity of our companions, donors and volunteers who’ve turned this imaginative and prescient right into a actuality. Our mission is to empower each pupil to beat the obstacles that hinder their studying, to entry the academic alternatives that enrich their lives and to foster the partnerships that strengthen our neighborhood by giving.”

In accordance with the inspiration, greater than 1,300 college students within the Davis district might be labeled as homeless, missing entry to fundamental assets and requirements that appear like a given to lots of their friends.

With this in thoughts, the inspiration has spearheaded the opening of stripling facilities at Clearfield Excessive Faculty, Northridge Excessive Faculty, Layton Excessive Faculty, Mountain Excessive Faculty, Woods Cross Excessive Faculty, the Renaissance Academy and, now Viewmont Excessive Faculty — with plans to open further facilities at Syracuse and Bountiful excessive colleges.

Two days after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s symposium on service, his spouse, Abby Cox, spoke in regards to the service teen facilities present to college students all through the Beehive State.

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“There’s a lot analysis round one caring grownup in a baby’s life and here’s a room filled with caring adults,” Abby Cox stated. “For every pupil that comes by this middle, they’ll have a neighborhood that wraps round them, that loves them, that exhibits that they belong and that once they graduate … they’re going to look again and see that someone cared. And that is how we get upstream and that is how we create a loving and belonging neighborhood.”

Wheatley, who additionally coaches soccer and lacrosse at Viewmont Excessive Faculty alongside his position as coordinator of the Valhalla Scholar Heart, stated he sees himself as a “facilitator of assets.” Basically, he helps college students get no matter they should be comfy and profitable.

He additionally stated he believes having a pupil middle helps fight the stigma for college kids feeling like they cannot ask for assist — or that nobody will pay attention if/once they do. That is bodily encapsulated by the actual fact the middle would not have any blinds and appears out into the parking zone at Viewmont Excessive Faculty.

“We would like the inherent stigma to form of be eliminated. And so anyone seeing in … we do not care who’s in right here as a result of we would like this to be a useful resource for your entire faculty, not only a choose group of scholars, though they are going to use it greater than the remainder of the scholar inhabitants, we would like all people to really feel welcome and we do not need anyone to really feel any sort of method about being in right here,” Wheatley stated, including that he is already seen the stigma round reaching out for assist reduce.

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Together with examine and rest rooms, there may be house for in-house therapists who’re already embedded on the faculty to offer psychological well being companies to any pupil who wants them.

“We’re right here at the moment due to what this implies (and) what this neighborhood has performed to say, ‘We’re not going to permit that. We’re not going to take a seat idly by and let college students in these conditions not no less than really feel cherished and supported by this neighborhood,'” stated Dan Linford, superintendent of the Davis Faculty District.

Like their Norse mascot, the scholars, employees and school at Viewmont Excessive Faculty hope the aptly named Valhalla Scholar Heart will function a spot of honor, glory and happiness for college kids who want it probably the most.

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