School seeks solution for campus violence

Danette Goulet

COSTA MESA -- When Jessee Marshall saw another student being beat up

on the school playground, he put a stop to it.

“I told the bigger kid to stop beating up on him or else I’d either

have to get a teacher or get him away myself,” Jessee said. “The kid said

thank you so much. He was so thankful because he already had a bloody

nose and probably would have had a black eye.”

The sixth-grade student related this story to his classmates at Kaiser

Elementary School on Monday morning during the first of five “Souper Safe

Schools” anti-violence lessons.

Based on the newest “Chicken Soup” book, “Chicken Soup for the Preteen

Soul,” which was written in part by two Costa Mesa women, the program

provides teachers with short and simple lessons to combat school

violence.

The first objective is to help students realize that everyone has the

power to help -- and that help can be as easy as a smile or kind word.

Teachers read an inspirational story from the book, then they ask

students to relate a time that they helped someone, or were helped

themselves.

Eric Silva, 11, talked about how he helped his little brother who had

broken arm.

Christina Crouse, 12, told the class about two friends of hers who had

spent their free time helping hearing-impaired students.

As students told their stories, more and more hands shot up. Students

began to think of examples in their lives of helping others and how it

made them feel.

“All you have to do if you walk by someone is just give them a smile

-- just look at them,” said 11-year-old Holly Ward.

“It’s amazing how contagious a smile can be,” agreed their teacher,

Linda Wyant.

These simple gestures, said authors Irene Dunlap and Patty Hansen, are

crucial.

“This is school violence. It’s very different than street violence,”

Dunlap said. “It’s kids that get so frustrated because they felt

isolated, and dissed, and pushed out for so long.”

To combat the problem at the root, the authors planned the five days

of lessons to address issues like lack of respect, belittling other

students, low self-esteem, the perception that telling an adult is

“tattling,” and taking responsibility for actions or lack of action.

Jessee learned some of these lessons on his own. He said he stepped in

and helped his fellow student because he knew what it felt like to be in

that student’s place.

“I felt sorry for him because my brother beats up on me and I don’t

like it,” he said. “Who would like it?”

QUESTION

o7 VIOLENT PATTERN?f7

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