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Students given key role in school safety

WMS workshop gives student leaders tools to reduce violence

By Paul Hilker, staff writer
The Windsor Times

Agents of change are loose in Windsor - but it has nothing to do with politics or the redistribution of wealth.

Student leaders at Windsor Middle School went through a two-day training session that school officials hope will create a middle school culture where more tolerance and less violence exists on campus.

Instructors from a nonprofit Sebastopol based organization, called Community Matters, came to the campus last month for a two-day training session on how to become a "safe school ambassador."

"We are trying to engage, empower, and equip kids for their role in creating a safer school environment," said the program's director, Chris Pack.

Thirty-six students chosen by WMS faculty members for their responsible reputations gathered in the school library to participate in discussions, skits and role-playing activities.

According to Pack, the students that are chosen are "opinion leaders."

"The students that were chosen are really the leaders of the different cliques on campus," said Pack. "We try to get representation from each of the different student groups.

Throughout the two days, concepts such as empathy, tolerance and respect for other students were taught.

"This is going to be a great program for us," said WMS Principal Loren Barker. "The kids are coming out of their comfort zones and learning to be confident and active."

"The program is meant to be a challenge," said Pack. "It can be emotionally hard because they are being asked to go against the crowd. We're asking them to be agents of social change."

On the first day, students got to know one another by participating in ice-breaker activities.

One activity called "crossing the line," initiated an openness and sense of trust among the students, according to Pack. Students stood facing each other in two lines while a list of students' statements were read by instructors.

Some of the statements included: "I have been involved in a fight at school," "My family comes from Mexico," and "I have bullied someone before."

According to Pack, this activity gives the students a chance to declare things about their heritage and themselves.

"This was cool because we got to see what everyone was like on the inside," said Summer Morgan, one of the students chosen for the program.

Other activities included small group discussions and skits aimed at teaching techniques on how to deal with potentially violent circumstances.

"Kids can intervene in these situations in ways that adults can't," said K'vod Wieder, a trainer/instructor in the program. "We train them in ways to deal with situations that may seem impossible."

Prevention, mediation and support are key concepts taught in the program. "We want to give them tools that they can use so that they don't need to remain silent when they experience harassment or bullying," said Pack. "Silence is consent. At the same time, we want to teach them to have discernment."

When asked if she learned anything from the program, Morgan replied "I've learned that no matter what kind of trouble people are going through, you can always help them in some way."

To ensure that the program is ongoing and that the students maintain an attitude of activism, group meetings will be held weekly at WMS to encourage the students in the program.

"We will have 'family group' meetings where the students, parents, and some faculty can discuss the goals and progress of the program here at WMS," said Barker.

Besides these meetings, the 36 students who participated will keep an ongoing "data sheet" which will help faculty and administrators determine how much of a problem bullying really is.

"A big part of the program is making sure that these ideas are established well, so the teachers and administrators can maintain it in the future," said Pack. "We're giving these kids a sense of the potential and the power they have for change. Hopefully, they will take the ball and run with it."