GE Peer Mediators Program is off to a running start!

There has been tremendous interest from new students looking to join. There were 17 returning student mediators from last year and 36 new students for a total of 53 Peer Mediators! 24 of these students are from the GE House!

There were 2 all day trainings on October 6th and October 8th in which the student mediators were taught about conflict, trust/confidentiality, problem solving, and the principles of mediation. Although most of the training day was set as lecture, there were times for role playing and games. After the training, all student Mediators received a certificate.

Peer Mediation has accomplished over 56 mediations to date. Most of them have reached an acceptable agreement between the disputants.

Peer Mediation has also had several successful bake sales. Pep rally sales were a bit short because the items that were supposed to be sold had been on a FedEx tractor trailer that over turned on the NYS Thruway the Wednesday before the Pep rally– so we never received them. But in spite of that, the student mediators stepped up and baked more items to be sold at the Pep Rally.

On September 24th, the Center for Community Justice held their annual breakfast meeting. Several Peer Mediators attended this Breakfast as well as GE House Principal, Mr. Parisi. At this Breakfast meeting, a 2009 SHS GE graduate, Le’Asia Thomas, was recognized by the agency and received a $250.00 scholarship to apply to a college of her choice.

As of November 13, 2009, our beloved advisor, Mrs. Mary McGovern, will be leaving SHS and the Center for Community Justice for another job. Mrs. McGovern says she has “LOVED working for the school district and the Center for Community Justice but mostly with and for the kids. They are the greatest!!!” The Center for Community Justice is currently interviewing applicants for the Peer Mediation Coordinator position and hopes to have that person in place before Mrs. McGovern’s departing date or shortly thereafter.