JMS students are making the right choices
JMS students are making the right choices
By: Bernadette Nehorai, Tehachapi News Assistant
Description: Safe School Ambassadors suspend mistreatment and banish bullying
Topics: ambassadors, JMS, school
Posted by editor Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:35:11 PDT
Viewed 555 times
0 responses 0 comments If every Safe School Ambassador at Jacobsen Middle School stopped a mistreatment two times per day, as a group they will stop 6,500 offenses by the end of the school year. That is exactly what the group of more than 50 students plan to do.
These ambassadors are students who speak up to prevent or stop mistreatment they see happening on campus. They identify mistreatment as bullying, physical mistreatment, exclusion and put downs.
“It is an empowerment program for the kids,” explained Vice Principal Chuck Monaco. “They are here to improve, prevent and completely stop mistreatments of other students.”
The students in the program have experienced some form of abuse or cruelty from peers, have mistreated others, or just want to help.
“Some of these kids, last year or the year before, were in a lot of trouble,” said Monaco. “Now they are helping with the problem.”
The main idea behind Safe School Ambassadors is to build safer schools from the inside out. According to the organization, the majority of students believe they only have two options when they come across cruelty or tension. They can either ignore it and hope it stops, or tell on their peers. Ambassadors speak up.
“It’s all about defiance. Kids are starting to do what they want and not listen to the rules as we’re nearing the end of the school year,” explained Safe School Ambassador Will Carter, an eighth grader.
“It’s fun to help others out,” said Ambassador John Horton, who is also in the eighth grade. “It gets easier as you do it more, too.”
An ambassador’s main focus is following through with “actions.” They can act to stop a mistreatment, but follow-up is important to ensure the problem is taken care of. By checking-in they can provide further support.
“This is a life changing program,” said Monaco. “It allows the kids to mature and develop in a healthy way.”
In the case of exclusion, for example, an ambassador would do their best to include the student who is the victim in the situation.
“Exclusion can make a kid not even want to come to school,” said eighth grade Ambassador Erica Lange.
The group of 50 is broken into smaller “family groups” which meet every two weeks under the direction of a teacher. These groups have a student leader also. Eighth grade ambassador Tommy Freeman is the leader of one group.
“If you’re a leader of a group and other kids are doing something bad, you have the power to influence them to do good,” explained Freeman.
This is the second year the Safe School Ambassadors program has been offered at Jacobsen under the supervision of Monaco. The students must complete a two-day training and sign a contract before becoming ambassadors.
The PREMO thinking process — Problems, Relationships, Environment, Mood, and Options — allows the ambassadors to address the problem in a safe and effective way. They must address all of these subjects before they act.
“The program is not only helpful for other students, but for ambassadors too,” said eighth grade Ambassador Caitlin Burris. “We learn how to help people.”
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