Students and staff at A.G. Richardson Elementary School (AGR) are benefiting from a newly transformed space designed to help students pause, reflect, and return to learning ready to succeed. The school’s new “Reset Road” hallway provides a calming environment where students can practice strategies to regulate their emotions and refocus during the school day.
The concept of a reset space is not new to AGR. School Counselor Janine Morrison previously created an earlier version of the hallway that included wall stickers with prompts and strategies. Over time, however, those materials began to wear down and no longer stayed in place, prompting the need for a more permanent solution.
That solution came through the generosity and creativity of parent volunteer Tiffanie Harpring, who offered her time after a conversation with Assistant Principal Erica Hoy and Morrison earlier in the school year. With her youngest child entering kindergarten, Harpring said that she had more time to help if the school had any creative projects. Morrison had the perfect project in mind.
Recognizing the limitations of the original vinyl stickers, Harpring proposed transforming the space into a full hallway mural. After sketching initial ideas with her children’s markers, the team selected a rolling hills design that would incorporate a variety of interactive elements.
The finished “Reset Road” mural now features visually engaging stations that guide students through breathing techniques, movement, and calming strategies, providing tools to help them manage emotions in a healthy, constructive way.
School counselor Janine Morrison explained the sections of the Reset Road path including breathing strategies, physical releases, grounding techniques, cognitive distractions and positive self talk with a final self check station. “We teach our students to be aware of their body cues so they know when they need to implement their self help tools,” she said. “The last station reminds students to self check their body cues to see if their tools helped them to regulate so they are ready to return to learning. It also naturally reinforces that their tools do work and help them to manage those big uncomfortable feelings successfully.”
While Harpring has experience in art, including assisting with a local mural project and completing work in her own home, this was her largest project to date. When asked if she had ever done a project similar to Reset Road, she said, “Not exactly like this.I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Art, so my wheelhouse spreads pretty far, but nothing on this scale.”
The project took approximately two months to complete, with Harpring dedicating a few hours each day while her children were in school, totaling an estimated 200 hours of volunteer work. Progress was occasionally slowed by winter weather, school schedules, and the challenges of painting on concrete block walls.
Because the mural was designed to be interactive and frequently touched by students, Harpring applied additional layers of paint to ensure durability.
She also made the project a family effort, with her three children contributing to portions of the mural, including handprints and footprints featured in one of the stations. Her sister, Hayley Jan, assisted during later stages of the project.
“The end product is exactly how I had envisioned it,” Harpring said. “There were a few learning experiences along the way, but it turned out beautifully.”
On Friday, March 20, 2026, AGR students and staff, in addition to School Board members and Central Office staff, gathered to celebrate the completion of Reset Road. All kindergarten students assembled just outside the hallway entrance, welcoming Harpring with cheers, applause, and AGR-themed gifts in appreciation of her work.
Principal Temesha Dabney, Assistant Principal Erica Hoy, and School Counselor Janine Morrison each shared remarks during the celebration, expressing gratitude for Harpring’s dedication and the impact the space will have on students.
“This space is more than just a hallway, it’s a tool for helping our students build lifelong skills,” said Dabney. “We are incredibly grateful for the care and creativity that went into making it so meaningful.”
The project also highlighted the collaborative spirit of the AGR community. In addition to Harpring and Morrison, the school’s Behavior Interventionist, Kaui Adkins, contributed as part of the school’s collaboration team, helping bring the vision to life.
Harpring also expressed appreciation for the many staff members who supported her throughout the process. “I wanted to thank the teachers and custodians who helped me and checked on me every day,” she said. “Mrs. Shirley, Mrs. Penny, and Mr. Roy were the real MVPs for always being so helpful and checking on me,” she added.
She added that she is excited that this project will help support students who are navigating big emotions. “The ones who are often so full of big emotions that they come spilling out in the worst ways are also the ones who will someday make the best artists,” she said. “We all had a teacher somewhere along the way who taught us how to channel all those emotions into something beautiful.”
With its thoughtful design and meaningful purpose, Reset Road is already serving as a valuable resource, empowering AGR students to pause, reset, and return to class ready to learn.