Pay it Forward: Stools are cool new tools for Obsidian students

Thirteen-year-old, Cayden Porfirio says he rushes to class every day to sit at a desk with a Hokki stool.

“It gives my body something to do,” says Cayden, “Usually, when I’m not moving my body that’s a distraction.”

Cayden’s teacher, Mrs. Mitchell say the use of Hokki stools help students like Cayden stay focused.

“The students who have sensory needs or need to move to get an outlet or students with ADHD who need to wiggle while they work,” says Mitchell.

Sam Platt is on the board for the Redmond Education Foundation and is a former Redmond School District student. He says he has watched the use of Hokki stools in Mrs. Mitchell’s class change the way students learn.

“I see students who in a typical classroom sit in a chair that is connected to the desk and they are fidgety. They are bouncing around and when they are on the Hokki stool they are focused. Their bottoms might be wiggling but they are focused on the lesson that is being taught.”

Platt says the Redmond Education Foundation works hard to fund learning resources like Hokki stools.

On behalf of Mid Oregon Credit Union, Co-Energy Propane and NewsChannel 21, we have awarded the Redmond Education Foundation $500 and this month’s Pay it Forward recipient.

Platt says the help of $500 will allow teachers like Mrs. Mitchell more opportunity to provide students with the resources they need.

“Teachers often work on a shoestring budget and it’s fun for us to provide them opportunities to be innovative and offer things that they typically they couldn’t have,” says Platt.

These stools are helping students like Cayden, wiggle their way to success.