Dream Come True Sensory Room Opens at HPHS

The first visitors to Highland Park High School’s renovated sensory room agreed that senior Piper Heath’s improvements didn’t just live up to expectations — they far exceeded them.

“I think it’s fabulous,” said PTA president Jean Signor. “I’m so proud of Piper for taking the initiative to do this amazing project.”

Heath raised $50,000 to renovate the room, which gives students with intellectual disabilities and area to get their energy out, calm down, and refocus between activities. The room also serves as a space for peer tutoring and music therapy, and can be used by all students who need time to recharge.

The transformed space is filled with welcoming features that students can interact with and touch, such as reversible sequins, fiber optic lights, and seating options that range from cozy to wobbly. The room’s many new additions include 80-inch-tall bubble tubes, mirrors, color-changing LED lights, a wall-mounted, interactive touchscreen, swings, and a projector. 

By the day of the sensory room’s official ribbon cutting on May 14, students had already started enjoying their new space.

“I walk by here quite a bit, and they’re really engaged and have fun in here. It’s quite an improvement from what it was before,” said HPHS principal Kevin Hunt. “I’m really proud of Piper. She did a great job.”

Heath will leave to study at the University of Mississippi in the fall. One day, she hopes to return to Highland Park as a special needs educator herself. Heath said the room’s new additions included everything she had hoped to add.

“I think it turned out amazing,” she said. “It was definitely a dream come true.”

A plaque outside the sensory room will thank the organizations and individuals who made its transformation possible. They include the David M. Crowley Foundation, the HPHS PTA, the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee, the Park Cities Learning Differences Association, the Spirited Scots 2024-25 cheer team, and numerous Park Cities families.