Posted October 14, 2011

Students took part in the first Peaceable School Bus Program at Southgate on Thursday.

Southgate Elementary held their first Peaceable School Bus program on Thursday, Oct. 13.

The program is a school-wide initiative designed to create a climate of community, respect and cooperation while decreasing inappropriate behavior on school buses. The students gathered together by bus route  and the Southgate staff took the primary responsibility of educating and training students in the program so students can, in turn, act responsibly on school buses when staff members are not present.

At the meeting, students take part in the following activities:

•Team-building exercises

•Developing mentoring relationships by pairing older students with younger students on the bus

•Talk about bullying - and what behavior is and is not acceptable

Students also took part in problem-solving activities in which they would discuss what to do if a certain situation presented itself during the bus ride. For example, one question that was proposed was: What would you do if you saw somebody being bullied on the bus?

This exercise allows the students to become aware of possible warning signs and how best to handle them should they arise.

The Peaceable Schools Program will be on-going throughout the year at Southgate. Future plans include forming "bus buddies" as well as more problem solving activities.