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One Class at a Time Chief Charlo school’s Kelley Donisthorpe

OCAT Chief Charlo
Posted at 4:13 PM, Jan 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-13 17:32:48-05

MISSOULA — Chief Charlo School counselor Kelley Donisthorpe is this week’s One Class at a Time grant winner.

KPAX General Manager Bob Hermes and Republic Services Municipal Manager Chad Bauer presented Donisthorpe the $250 award which she will use to buy chimes for her students as part of her “Mind Up” curriculum.

Mind Up uses breathing techniques to encourage self-regulation and mindfulness which helps allow students to assess what’s going on around them before reacting. Donisthorpe says the chimes bring a calming effect.

“The big thing that comes out of this curriculum is that they’re learning to be more responsive rather than reactive and so breathing is a big part of that, and breathing helps with, you know, learning because when you’re breathing, you’re better able to use your brain,” Donisthorpe said.