Submitted photos A ribbon cutting was held last Thursday at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to celebrate the remodeling of the playground and classrooms in the Dakota Memorial School there. Pictured are principal Tina DeGree and superintendent Marcia Bartok at the school.

A complete remodel of the Dakota Memorial School at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is helping the third through 12th graders at the school learn in a calmer environment, said principal Tina DeGree and superintendent Marcia Bartok.

The old, open layout of classrooms at the school sometimes interfered with learning for students who might also have been distracted from academics by trauma they had experienced in their lives or other special needs, said Bartok and DeGree.

The remodel was completed over the summer with funding from grants and generous donors. The project cost about $250,000 to complete.

When the kids – currently 58 students – and teachers started classes in August, they were all excited, said DeGree.

Some of the classrooms are set up with furniture designed specifically for kids who are dealing with tough issues. One side of a table might be smooth or another fuzzy because kids like to finger the table. There are rockers so kids can rock back and forth.

There are sound absorption panels in the classroom that help cut down on distracting noise.

The remodel was done in such a way that the class is a “trauma sensitive environment” that can help calm down a child so his or her brain will be able to focus on learning instead of the trauma he might have experienced.

Different age levels also have different needs, with younger elementary students needing the space to play and move around and older kids needing different settings.

A playground was also added where the children can play.

Kids at the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, which is a residential treatment center and also offers a day treatment program, are referred there for various reasons and by different entities.

Bartok and DeGree said the Dakota Memorial School is the school where many of the youngsters find academic success for the first time. For some of the kids, success is being able to sit through a lesson for longer than they have ever managed before. Teachers then build on that success and kids become more confident in their abilities.

DeGree and Bartok said the average student at the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is there for between six and 18 months.