Index


Orientation to Life and Careers
Mary Sue Burkhardt

Child Care with a Future
Eleanor Keppler

Preventing Teen Dating Violence
John A. King

Conflict Resolution
Jean Pryzbylkowski

Southwestern Food Factory
Becky Newell

On the Bridge
Roxanne Trees

Conflict Resolution
Created by: Jean Pryzbylkowski

Other Program Information

How the Program Began

Everyday we open our newspapers and read about violence in a school somewhere in the United States. The problem of violence in the community and schools has been documented for the public in print and electronic media and has been addressed in professional literature.  It has become the priority issue in many schools and communities around the nation.

In the fall of 1990, the staff of our junior high school recognized that violence was becoming a major problem.  We noted with alarm the increase in arguments and fighting among our students.  A committee of teachers and administrators was formed and I was selected as chairperson.  We met for about a year to identify the problem and suggest solutions.  The committee developed and administered an assessment instrument, collected and analyzed the information along with suspension and disciplinary records and made recommendations to the staff.  It was recommended that a peer mediation program be instituted, an in-service day on conflict resolution and mediation be held for staff, an intervention system with outside counselors be expanded, and that all students should learn anger management and conflict resolution skills.            

The principal planned to have homeroom teachers teach the skills in homeroom period.  I suggested to the principal that the logical place for these skills to be taught was in FCS as we were already teaching many of the skills and could easily incorporate the additional concepts.  I further proposed that the FCS department could provide consistency in delivery because we had a commitment and desire to implement the program.  As I had attended two workshops on conflict resolution and was familiar with the concepts and knew the staff at the Mediation Center, I volunteered to be advisor to the Peer Mediation group and to arrange for the training and the in-service program for the staff.  The principal recognized the thoroughness of the proposal and worked to secure funds to implement the program.

The Conflict Resolution/Getting Along With Others Curriculum was developed and implemented in September of 1991.  Staff training about Peer Mediation was held in October of 1991, and twenty-four Peer Mediators were trained in November of 1991.  The training was conducted by the Lancaster Mediation Center and is repeated each fall to train additional mediators.  Students may nominate themselves or someone else to become mediators and a staff advisory committee helps to make the final selections.

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