Minarets High School students make Autism Sensory Kits, asking for community help

COARSEGOLD, Calif. (KFSN) -- Students at Minarets High School are taking action to make sure every student has the tools they need to succeed in the classroom, but they need your help.

The students are making Autism Sensory Kits. They're hoping to donate a box to each classroom in their high school and the surrounding schools, but it's a big wishlist.

Seniors Jadyn Stafford and Leah Dunne both have something in common.

"My older brother has autism," explained Stafford. "I was able to see what he went through in our local elementary schools and high schools."

Both girls have an older brother with autism, so when it came time to choose a senior project, they wanted something that would make an impact.

"Sometimes just being overwhelmed, you need to be brought back down and centered," said Stafford, "So I asked my brother what he would have loved if he was in the classroom."

They set out to make sensory kits, complete with noise-canceling headphones and other objects to make the classroom experience a little easier.

"Hopefully their classes will be a safe environment where they can relax and feel comfortable," said Leah Dunne.

Staff say it's not just autistic students that sometimes need help with the overwhelming sensory experience in a classroom.

"With COVID, we find students are anxious, they're high anxiety, normalizing being around people again is super difficult," said teacher Mikendra Mccoy. "It provides the opportunity for kids to fidget in a functional manner that still allows the learning to happen while fidgeting is occurring."

The girls are hoping to make over one hundred kits, but they need your help.

"April is World Autism Month and leading up to that we want to get as many donation as possible," said Stafford. "Because right now we don't have enough to fulfill all the needs we have."

You can help by purchasing items from their Amazon wishlist or you can also drop off donations at Minarets High School.