BRIDGES Safe & Respectful Schools
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BRIDGES Safe & Respectful Schools A Year in the Life of BRIDGES Schools: Loara High School Garden Grove High School Newport Harbor High School In 2014-15 the Loara BRIDGES Program The BRIDGES Safe & Respectful Schools Newport Harbor High School BRIDGES launched an anti-violence campaign to team at Garden Grove High School students focused their school year on build empathy, provide resources, and unified their campus during the 2014-15 teacher appreciation and engagement, offer alternatives to violence. Activities school year around civil rights history, peer mediation and breaking down included the Not in Our School anti- school safety and issues of respect. This cultural divides on campus. Activities bullying campaign which reached more group focused on civil rights history by included teacher engagement and than 2,000 students through movie hosting OC Human Relations’ Civil Rights appreciation. Students recruited teachers screenings, classroom presentations, an History Exhibit on campus. Students and parents to advise BRIDGES efforts “upstander” pledge wall, art contest, also visited the Mexican American and engaged adults through a kick-off lunch time activities and a homegrown History Museum, hosted a forum around event, trainings and presentations on play by Loara Thespians seen by more the Mendez v. Westminster case that school data. These allies integrated and than 1,000 students. In addition, desegregated Orange County schools, promoted BRIDGES activities in their students led the You are Not Alone and participated in a local Cesar Chavez classrooms and campus organizations. depression awareness campaign to Day march. Students also focused on In addition, two teachers, one counselor support Suicide Prevention by showing Safe and Respectful Classroom activities, and one administrator were recognized PSA’s produced by the Loara Thespians including student-led trainings for 120 for creating safe classrooms and spaces in all classes, creating a “Send Silence teachers on Creating Safe Classrooms, and combating bullying at an after-school Packing” backpack exhibition that the recognition of 30 teachers who reception in their honor. To show the students visited during lunch, and create safe classrooms, a collaboration power of positivity, students distributed distributing yellow ribbons and life- with the Gay Straight Alliance to host over 500 compliments across campus line cards for all students. In addition, the National Day of Silence, plus “Love during BRIDGES Compliment Day. Peer students will participate in Peer Doesn’t Have to Hurt” training for 150 Mediation was also a focus, as a cohort Mediation and Community Circles to students, three all-day human relations of 30+ students were trained in peer equip students in peer mediation skills to retreats that integrated English Language mediation and continued the school’s resolve conflict, with the aim of violence Learners, and a Unity Fest with live commitment to offering mediation as an prevention. Students will be trained by music, cultural performances, a resource alternative to discipline. For more than 15 OC Human Relations to mediate peer- fair, food, and college and career years, this effort has been supported by to-peer conflict and community building information for over 300 students and the administration and has been useful circles on campus. parents. in peer-to-peer conflicts. Finally, students looked at Bridging Cultural Divides. During the spring, BRIDGES students “I learned how to communicate, to make new friends and began to raise questions about why the I learned to respect others so others can respect me.” social interaction at lunch seemed to be largely segregated by race/ethnicity. —Josue, BRIDGES Skills for Success Student They are currently planning a campaign to encourage students to “break down the walls” that divide them by inviting all students to eat lunch together. 4 OUR IMPACT OUR We Create Safe, Inclusive and Respectful Schools This year, with your support, our BRIDGES Safe & Respectful Schools Program team: • Engaged 24,977 Students, Educators, Families and Community Members in over 600 intergenerational school Task Force meetings, retreats, trainings, programs, circles, presentations and school-wide events at 14 local BRIDGES schools. • United 650 diverse Orange County students and educators from 26 Orange County junior and high schools, including two private schools, at our annual Walk In My Shoes Youth Conference. • Facilitated 109 Staff development sessions, parent presentations and classroom Our BRIDGES presentations. • Led 102 Restorative Justice Community Community Circles with students, educators and families 22,543 Our Partner in school settings. Students • Graduated 56 Spanish-Speaking Schools Parents from our 7-week 504 Parent Leadership Institute at Anaheim Community Parents three local schools: Loara High, Day School 194 Savanna High and Bernice Ayer Fountain Valley Middle Schools. Administrators High School • Supported 37 Academically Garden Grove 1,277 Challenged Students in our High School Teachers Skills for Success Program at one school. Huntington Beach 304 High School • Trained 20 Youth Leaders from School Staff ten cities at our annual BRIDGES Loara High School 155 Summer Leadership Camp from Magnolia High School ten cities. Community Members Newport Harbor • Facilitated 20 Day-Long High School BRIDGES retreats. Savanna High School • Mentored 19 High School BRIDGES Youth Leaders in our Servite High School BRIDGES year-long OC Youth South Jr. High Organizers (OCYO) Internship Spring View Program, from nine schools. Middle School • Coordinated 8 School-Based mediation trainings. Sycamore Jr. High Valley High School Westminster High School 5.