St. Mark’s School is piloting a new program titled, Safe School Ambassadors, a proactive program, that discourages bullying and mistreatment, and encourages communication. Developed by Community Matters in Sebastopol, CA., the program has been used in 1,200 schools, benefiting 60,000 students. St. Mark’s is the first private school in Illinois to pilot this program.
The Safe Schools Ambassador Program trains diverse student leaders to intervene when they see mistreatment of friends and other students. They are trained in nonviolent intervention and communication skills to use among their peer group to prevent and stop bullying.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, St. Mark’s would like to thank our neighbor, Westminster Presbyterian for allowing us to hold our two-day student training on September 30th. We would also like to thank our parents who attended St. Mark’s School for an evening training on Bullying Intervention and Communication Skills.
In addition, we appreciate the support from our local legislators, Senator Darin LaHood, Mayor Jim Ardis, Mayor Jim Dillon, and Councilwoman Beth Jensen. Parent and community involvement greatly increases the long-term benefit of this program and our overall community.
St. Mark’s wishes you many blessings at this time of Thanksgiving.