Parents perk up Windham Middle School bathrooms with positive affirmations by Elizabeth Richards

When students arrived back at Windham Middle School after their summer vacation, they found the one space they all use a little brighter, a little more pleasant and a little more inspiring. “This summer, a wonderful group of moms came forward and offered to do some work in both the boys and girls bathrooms to make them more positive and affirming places,” said Kim McBride, Assistant Principal at Windham Middle School. 
 

The school was built in 1977, McBride said, and though it’s been well maintained over the years, as any older building does, it’s starting to show its age. 

Tiffany Flibbert, who had the initial vision for the project and organized the efforts, said she has three children and she’s heard complaints about the bathrooms from all of them. The idea for the painting came, like so many things these days, from social media, she said. After seeing a post by a teacher who had done something similar, she decided to take action. 

Flibbert knows the power of positive words. She belongs to a group, Brave Girls Club, which is all about helping women meet their dreams and pursue their goals, primarily through uplifting words. “Young girls need inspiration. They need to feel good about themselves. There are so many things out there working against them,” Flibbert said. “And boys need it too,” she added.

Once the idea had formed, Flibbert spread the word about the project and a group of parents came together to get it done, she said. 

McBride said the many hours of volunteer work the group put in were very much appreciated by the school. “Anytime we can give more positive messages to students, we want to do it. The bathrooms are an often overlooked place that everyone visits every day,” she said. “It was a wonderful surprise for the students when they came in, and they really appreciated the creativity and the time and attention that went into it.”