Calmer Choice to close June 30; district to receive curriculum books and leaders thank nonprofit for 13‑year partnership
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Summary
Calmer Choice, a Cape Cod nonprofit providing mindfulness programming in Dennis‑Yarmouth schools, announced it will close operations June 30 but will donate curricular books to each district school and retain 501(c)(3) status to explore future activity.
Calmer Choice, a nonprofit that provided mindfulness‑based programming to Dennis‑Yarmouth schools for 13 years, told the school committee on May 19 it will close operations on June 30 but is donating curriculum books to every district school.
“Many of you probably already know that Calmer's Choice is closing its operations as of June 30 this year,” Stephanie Golley, a Calmer Choice staff member, told the committee. Golley and Sarah Mannion, executive director of Calmer Choice, presented an end‑of‑year report summarizing the nonprofit’s work in the district.
Committee members and attendees described Calmer Choice’s reach: the presenters estimated the program served roughly 15,000 students and more than 825 teachers across 13 years, and said the 2024–25 school year reached about 1,450 students in 79 classrooms. Golley and Mannion highlighted educator courses, classroom lessons and a mindfulness coach pilot run between 2022 and 2024.
Mannion said the organization’s work showed that “self awareness and self regulation is foundational to student well‑being” and that “mindfulness supports teacher efficacy,” and that the “practice” of mindfulness could persist in schools even after Calmer Choice ends its operations. The organization plans to keep its 501(c)(3) status to “explore what might happen in the future.”
Mannion invited the district community to a public organizational farewell on Monday, June 9, at Scargo Café from 3 to 5 p.m. The group also confirmed it will donate a set of curriculum books to each district school so materials remain available in school libraries after operations end.
School committee members thanked the nonprofit for its work and noted specific examples of classroom and family impact. A committee member and parents recounted students using breathing techniques during medical procedures and described mindfulness tools helping classroom climate.
The announcement closes a long partnership between Calmer Choice and the district; the committee did not take any formal action on the presentation.
