CREATING A PEACEFUL SCHOOL 2013
A Conference for Parents, Teachers, Administrators, Classroom Aides and After-school Program Providers was held on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at Seven Hills School in Walnut Creek, California.
Participants learned the skills needed to make schools a safer and more peaceful place. Workshops and classes covered a variety of topics including: Cyber-bullying, Alternatives to Violence, Restorative Justice/Discipline, Mindfulness, Teaching on Issues of Peace, Brain function and Behavior, Yoga for the Classroom, Meditation, Nonviolent Communication, Ethical Consumerism, Peer Mediation and many others. Breakout sessions included topics for elementary and secondary school settings. A variety of ideas for curriculum and handouts immediately usable for the classroom were available to attendees.
Keynote speaker: Ron Claassen, Professor of Peacemaking and Conflict Studies, School of Education, Fresno Pacific University and Director of the Restorative Discipline Project spoke on the use of restorative justice in the classroom setting.
Workshop presenters and conference organizers included:
Ian Harris - Retired Professor of Peace Studies, University of Wisconsin;
Scott Espinosa-Brown - Head of Middle School, Seven Hills School;
Renee Ramig - Technology Director, Seven Hills School;
Joree Rosenblatt - Counselor, Seven Hills School;
John Marvin – Retired teacher, Pleasant Hill Middle School;
Dan Reynolds – Teacher of the year, Mt. Diablo Unified School District;
Lorin Peters – Retired teacher, Bishop O’Dowd HS, Gandhian Nonviolence;
Jill Johnson – Teacher, Freedom HS, Peace & Conflict Studies;
Chris Giotta – Art Teacher, Walnut Creek Intermediate School;
Margli Auclair – Las Lomas HS Parent & Director, Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center;
Marti Roach – Facilitator & Trainer;
Sherry McCreedy – Facilitator/Restorative Practices, Former teacher, Stone Valley MS & San Ramon Valley HS;
Roxanne Claassen - MA, retired teacher, Developer of Restorative Discipline Program;
Jeff Porter - Teacher, San Francisco Friends School;
Barbara Hollenbach - AVP Facilitator, Civicorps, West Oakland;
Michael Nagler - Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley, The Metta Center for Non-Violence;
Stephanie Van Hook - Co-Director, Metta Center for Non-Violence;
Loretta Breuning - Professor, Cal State University East Bay;
Milt Panagotacos - Retired Conflict Management Coordinator, Mt. Diablo Unified Schools;
Tina Kauffman - Retired Teacher, Registered Yoga Instructor.
(For contact information and resources, please go to MORE / RESOURCES / PRESENTERS on this website.)
Over 100 Registrants participated in the 2013 event.
See Contra Costa Times article at:
Many thanks to the Bernard E. and Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation, Berkeley California, for helping to fund this program.