Rancho San Justo holds grand opening for resource center

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Rancho San Justo Middle School held a grand opening of The Bronco Well and Resource Center Jan. 11 with about 60 people in attendance that included school and district officials and students.

The wellness center aims at providing students and their families health-related services. 

School Principal Deborah Armstrong said when she and Assistant Principal Samantha Rivas worked at Hollister High School, they saw the benefits the wellness center to the students.

“The same emotional and social challenges exist in middle school children, and they’re even less able to self-regulate,” Armstrong told BenitoLink. “They are just going through so many changes.”

She added the goal is to have it open in the evenings for family members who also need support.

Rivas told BenitoLink the wellness center has a menu with different coping strategies for students such as mindful coloring, journaling and playing with fidgets.

She added students previously utilized the wellness center but now more areas are open. 

“A lot of what we see at the junior higher level is students coming in due to friendship issues, breakups, and being in a conflict with another student so that is what we see a lot in our center,” Rivas said.  

Armstrong said while there are resources for students, there is a system so that students don’t  use the resource center as a way to get out of class.

“[We] have a system when they come in, what they do when they are in there, how they go back to class,” Armstrong said. “The nice thing is that if these kids do go to Hollister High School. It’s a similar system they will just translate right in, which is great!” 

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