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Sally W. Rankin/Maria Smiroldo Mount Rainier Elementary School Selected as a Model APeace School@ for its Outstanding Peer Mediation Program, Peace Days, Peace Parades and School-Wide Commitment to Conflict Resolution
For immediate release: April 10, 2000 Prince George=s County MD B Mount Rainier Elementary School announced that it has been selected by the Maryland Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Commission as a model APeace School,@ part of a statewide initiative to promote conflict resolution and cooperation in schools. The ADR Commission, chaired by the Honorable Robert M. Bell, chief judge of the state=s highest court, honored the school for its outstanding peer mediation program, peace days, peace parades and school-wide commitment to conflict resolution. Mount Rainier is a public elementary school near the Washington D.C. border with over 70 percent Aschool lunch eligible@ students located in a designated high-crime AHotspots Community.@ Despite these challenges, last year, the school community celebrated 160 Apeace days,@ days without any pushing, shoving or fighting in the whole school. The school is planning its third annual Apeace parade,@ marching through the neighborhood to showcase its phenomenal results. The school has already earned over 115 Apeace days@ this year and has established a positive culture of caring and respect, creating an uplifting environment that is conducive to learning. Peace signs and positive messages can be found throughout the school, and visitors are consistently greeted by enthusiastic children waving their two-finger Apeace signs@ and demonstrating Mount Rainier=s commitment to maintaining a safe and peaceful school. Mount Rainier combines the ASecond Step@ conflict resolution curriculum with an outstanding peer mediation program, character education program and an inspiring level of commitment among the school=s administrators, faculty and students. Phil Catania, Mount Rainier Elementary School=s Principal stressed the connection between maintaining a peaceful school environment and improving academic performance. ABecause of our unwavering commitment to peace and our proven track record of rewarding positive behavior, we have created an atmosphere in which students are enthusiastic about learning. When children here are >sent to the office= it=s so that I can personally recognize their good work and their contribution to our peaceful school environment.@ Mr. Catania credits Mt. Rainier=s students, faculty and staff for their commitment to school safety. AOur school is one community, and our achievements are the result of a holistic, school-wide approach and true dedication to peaceful conflict management. Being selected by the ADR Commission as a model school reflects a deep commitment on the part of our entire school community and is a great honor to us.@ ACreating this a kind of a school environment requires a tremendous amount of work, a team approach, and a constant commitment to the children, but it=s what makes working here so enjoyable and so rewarding,@ added Norma Freeborne, Mount Rainier=s Guidance Counselor. AMount Rainier Elementary School=s singular achievements illustrate the critical need for peace initiatives in all of our schools. School administrators, faculty and students must practice, teach, and be committed to effective conflict resolution to create productive learning environments,@ Chief Judge Bell explained. Part of the ADR Commission=s mission is to help replicate such impressive results in all Maryland schools. As a first step, the ADR Commission is funding a pilot project to help institute a similar school-wide peace initiative in another Prince George=s County elementary school. Phil Catania, Mount Rainier Elementary School=s Principal, will act as a mentor for this project. The ADR Commission is a 40-member, high-level, multi-disciplinary, group that developed and is now implementing a practical action plan to advance the appropriate use of mediation and other conflict resolution processes in schools, communities, courts, government agencies, criminal and juvenile justice systems, and the business community. For more information, please contact Phil Catania, Principal, Mount Rainier Elementary School, at (301) 985-1810, or Rachel Wohl, Executive Director, ADR Commission, at (410) 321-2398. # # # # # |