BEAVERCREEK — Beavercreek Boy Scout Dalton Throckmorton recently completed a project renovating a room at Valley Elementary School in Beavercreek. But it wasn’t just any project, and it wasn’t just any room.
No, the improvement project in the small room near the main entrance at Valley Elementary that has seen him, his family and other scouts working for about a year now, is the culmination of Throckmorton’s years of scouting. It’s his Eagle Scout project.
And the project itself? It’s more than a closet cleanout or an office overhaul. It’s a “multi-sensory room” designed to help students at the school.
“This is a multi-sensory room for special needs kids here at Valley Elementary,” the 17-year-old Troop 42 scout said. “They come in, it kind of calms [them] down.”
The room includes features such as soft lighting, a board with various movables and textures to touch, places to sit and more. It’s a quiet place where a student could sit for a few minutes.
“I just thought it was a good idea, because a lot of the other schools have this sort of thing,” Throckmorton said. “When I heard this school didn’t have one, I thought maybe that would make a very good Eagle Scout project. They could definitely benefit from one of these rooms here.”
Work in the room included painting, hanging lights and the room’s texture board, as well as installing shelves and a cabinet.
One of the teachers who will work with students who will use the room was impressed by the efforts.
“When I walked in and saw this, I just was amazed,” intervention specialist Karen Shires said. “It gives me goosebumps to just walk in here. Every teacher and adult in this building who has walked in has been amazed. … I think it’ll be a great asset to our school.”