Peaceful Schools NC: Supporting School Culture

RAISING HEALTHY CHILDREN

Educators from Carolina Friends School in Durham explore the relationship between health and education.

Contact the school at:

CAROLINA FRIENDS SCHOOL
4809 Friends School Road
Durham, NC 27705
Telephone: (919) 383-6602

www.cfsnc.org

Ida Trisolini (she/her) is the Staff Clerk at Carolina Friends School, and has been an educator for 30 years. Ida has served in multiple roles at Carolina Friends School, including Middle School teacher, Interim Head of Middle School and Interim Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning. She helped design the conflict resolution curriculum at CFS and has presented at regional and national conferences on topics related to school culture and teaching conflict resolution. Ida is also the Program Coordinator at Peaceful Schools NC. She loves contributing to the transformative impact healthy relationships can have in a school setting

By Ida Trisolini School Programs Coordinator Peaceful Schools NC
Carolina Friends School

Carolina Friends School Students participating in Peaceful Schools Student Leadership Day. Credit goes to Satsuki Scoville.

Even before the research began to confirm it, many educators understood that children learn better when they feel safe and seen. When teachers create safe spaces, provide rich opportunities for exploration, and engage in authentic relationships with students, they lay the foundation for thriving classrooms. When all parts of schools do this work together, they can create entire schools where every child experiences a sense of true belonging. This supports their learning and their social-emotional well-being. And this work is critical.

Sharing in the Creation
of a Positive School Culture

Ida Trisolini

Since 2009, Peaceful Schools NC has offered workshops for teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community partners who want to create safe school environments that are conducive to learning. We partner with schools across North Carolina (and beyond) to provide workshops that offer the skills and knowledge for creating classrooms and schools with minimal aggression and reduced teasing and bullying behavior. Participants learn to implement child-centered school environments for maximum academic, social, and emotional growth. 

PEACEFUL SCHOOLS

Through intentional collaboration and programming, Peaceful Schools NC provides strategies for building and sustaining positive relationships within school communities so that all members can thrive. For more information, contact:

https://www.peacefulschoolsnc.org/

As a program run by educators and for educators, Peaceful Schools NC utilizes pedagogy informed by best practices. Our trainings are tailored to meet schools where they are and provide opportunities for connection, collaboration, and active learning. Each member of a school community has a role in shaping its climate. When schools are able to engage everyone from the students and families to the bus drivers and board members, they can intentionally shape a positive school culture with the foundation to navigate challenges and create opportunities.

Restorative Practices

Though we design programming to meet the needs of each individual school, currently our most requested workshop is Introduction to Restorative Practices. Grounded in building healthy relationships, Restorative Practices provide opportunities for strengthening community. When a school uses restorative practices, all school community members are invited to take ownership of the impact of their words and actions; conflict is treated as feedback that something isn’t working and provides an opportunity for problem-solving; energy is spent on building positive and healthy relationships; and discipline is seen as an opportunity for growth and learning. This work has the potential to transform school communities into safer, more equitable environments for all, with regard for the diverse needs as defined by race, class, gender, gender expression, ability, neurodiversity, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in order to attain equity and a sense of belonging. 

Students, regardless of their ages, possess the ability to contribute meaningfully to their school communities. When given opportunities to share responsibility for creating group norms, problem-solving, and conflict resolution, children can be engaged members of school cultures and eventually, society. Our work centers the needs of children at all developmental stages. Our Mission reads, Through intentional collaboration and programming, Peaceful Schools NC provides strategies for building and sustaining positive relationships within school communities so that all members can thrive.

To learn more, visit peacefulscoolsnc.org. Peaceful Schools NC is proudly hosted by Carolina Friends School, a vibrant and inclusive learning community empowering students to think critically, creatively, and independently. We foster active exploration and quiet reflection, individual endeavor, and collaborative engagement. Inspired by Quaker values—pursuit of truth, respect for all, peaceful resolution of conflict, simplicity, the call to service— we teach their children that it is possible to change the world.

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