The people who act first often finish first, and that is exactly what junior Ella Blanz did this year. During her free periods, she spent time volunteering in the life skills room. She enjoyed it so much that she eventually became a peer tutor. After spending more than 200 volunteer hours in the classroom, Blanz realized firsthand that these rooms often do not receive the same attention or resources as others. Many teachers even end up using their own financial resources to provide for the room and their students.

Blanz began paying close attention to the students’ sensory breaks, which play a major role in how their days go. During the day, students typically had one or two sensory breaks within the school’s 88-minute blocks. Even with these breaks, students often experienced off-task behaviors that made it difficult for them to learn. Blanz worked with one of the life skills teachers, Ms. Rinker, to track each student and how often these behaviors occurred for two weeks in December. Afterward, Blanz surveyed each student about what exactly they would want on a new sensory board that she planned to build herself.

Once the board was installed in the classroom, Blanz and the teachers tracked the students again for two weeks in January to see if there were any changes in their off-task behaviors. The results showed a major decrease of 36 percent after the sensory board was introduced.

Blanz, who is graduating in December 2026, has already made a lasting impact not only on the school but also on the students’ everyday experiences. She hopes to present her project to the senior project board this year as a junior and plans to continue checking in on the students and the sensory board until she graduates. Blanz’s project shows how one student’s initiative can make a lasting difference in the daily learning experience of others.