Peace Builders: building peace in schools

The San Antonio Elementary School has opted to continue implementing the Peace Builders program, a project which has helped achieve a peaceful school climate at the campus for the last two years.

School Principal Doris Thompson attested to the positive impact of the program at her school, but cited the need to further improve some practices within the program.

During a Peace Builders Workshop last week, San Antonio School teachers and aides discussed some possible modifications that would best suit the school’s needs.

“We decided to refocus our energy and make sure that we are getting down to the true peace builder principles and have class meetings inside the classroom in which the peace builder practices are discussed and make sure that every room has a praise board,” said Ms. Thompson.

“‘Praise’ boards are similar to bulletin boards where students who have achieved remarkable peace-building deeds are posted.
“We need to praise students for that,” said the principal.

According to Ms. Thompson, San Antonio is one of the smallest schools in CNMI with a student population of only 360.

“It’s a lovely number and very controllable. The accreditation team who came here recently expressed admiration for the small student body we have. He said it’s was an ideal size, and we think so too,” she said.

Peace Builders is only one among several other recommended programs public schools are required to implement to determine student problems which need utmost attention.

This program is under the Public School System’s Federal Safe and Drug-free grant.

In recent years, the program has been successful in pinpointing major social concerns surrounding students inside the campus, according to school administrators.

The program requires each school to conduct surveys on its students, to determine behavioral patterns and identify behaviors which need to be addressed.

According to a survey done at Tanapag Elementary School students early last year, 86 percent of the male student population have reportedly been involved in physical fights, while 60 percent of the female student population have been involved in such violence.

The survey, submitted by TES Principal Jesus Elameto to the Public School System, was conducted March of 1999 to mark on the areas of behavioral concerns the school needs to work on.

Survey results further showed that on the same school, 25 percent of male students have tried using marijuana, and 15 percent of female students have given prohibited drugs a try.

Other schools that chose to implement the Peace Builders program include Hopwood Junior High School and William S. Reyes Elementary School, among others.