Schools recognized for contribution to Sustainable Strategies for Safe Schools

At the regular meeting of Rainbow District School Board held in Little Current on Monday, April 20th, 2009, Manitoulin Secondary School and Little Current Public School were recognized for their ongoing commitment to violence prevention efforts and finding the most promising practices. Board Chair Judy Hunda presented plaques to Laurie Zahnow, Principal of Manitoulin Secondary School, and Jamie Mohamed, Principal of Little Current Public School.

At the regular meeting of Rainbow District School Board held in Little Current on Monday, April 20th, 2009, Manitoulin Secondary School and Little Current Public School were recognized for their ongoing commitment to violence prevention efforts and finding the most promising practices. Both schools received plaques for their contribution to the provincial "Sustainable Strategies for Safe Schools" project.

Manitoulin Secondary School and Little Current Public School were among seven Rainbow Schools to participate in the project from May 2005 to April 2007. Other schools included Copper Cliff Public School, Cyril Varney Public School, Wembley Public School and Lasalle Secondary School.

Insights gained were featured in a resource package shared with all schools in Ontario. The package, which included print material and an accompanying CD/ROM and video, provided schools and their communities with a comprehensive guide to the building and sustaining of a safe and violence-free environment for children and teens.

“In the initial stages of this project, focus groups were asked to identify school activities that helped to prevent violence and promote healthy relationships and identify areas for growth while suggesting possible strategies,” said Manitoulin Secondary School Principal Laurie Zahnow.  “We had several strategies in place and were able to build on these based on the feedback from the focus groups.”

Manitoulin Secondary School added posters in high traffic areas listing community agencies available for students in need, established a bulletin board to recognize students on a monthly basis who display good character traits, implemented a very successful peer mediation program, maintained a strong "Be the Change" committee to focus on education for sustainable development, participated in Challenge Days (which are now called Days of Courage) and the U-Turn Program in partnership with United Chiefs and Councils of Manitoulin (UCCM), and established a system for students to anonymously report incidents of bullying.

Best practices in violence prevention at Little Current Public School included the creation of the "Little Current Public School Creed", which outlines the rights of all students in the context of "I am special", participation in Community Builders, Roots of Empathy and Challenge Days (which are now called Days of Courage), Weekly Sharing Circles, an Appreciation Bulletin Board, Restorative Justice as well as the U-Turn Program and Justice Circles in partnership with United Chiefs and Councils of Manitoulin (UCCM).

“We are giving our students opportunities to take on leadership roles in safe schools initiatives,” said Little Current Public School Principal Jamie Mohamed. “We welcomed the opportunity to share our best practices with schools from across Ontario.”

Jean Hanson, Director of Education for Rainbow District School Board, commended all schools for sharing their insights as part of the “Sustainable Strategies for Safe Schools” project.  “In Rainbow Schools, we are committed to providing safe, supportive and inclusive learning environments in which all children are nurtured to reach their full potential. We will continue to build on our efforts in partnership with students, staff, parents/guardians and supportive school communities.”

The "Sustainable Strategies for Safe Schools" project was spearheaded by the Centre for Children & Families in the Justice System, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children at the University of Western Ontario with support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

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Media Contact:

Jean Hanson, Director of Education,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7215.